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Rhino Resource Center: Rhino Forums > Rhino Species > Javan Rhino > Javan rhino killed in Vietnam

Posted by: rhishja May 11 2010, 07:44 PM

Hello - There has been an atrocity committed in Vietnam: The decaying body of a Javan rhino was found April 29 in Cat Tien NP. The rhino was shot and the horn hacked out by poachers. Let us hope and pray this precious creature was not the "last" Javan rhino in Vietnam. Additional info: http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/media/press/2010/WWFPresitem16214.html http://www.rhinoconservation.org/2010/05/10/one-of-worlds-last-javan-rhinos-murdered-by-poachers-in-vietnam/

Posted by: Tom May 20 2010, 05:58 PM

This is terrible news... Every rhino dying for such a retarded superstition is terrible. But when there are maximum a handful of Javan rhino left in Cat Tien it is a real tragedy. Will humans never learn? After the western black (extinct) and the northern white (functionally extinct, will the Javan rhino be next?

Posted by: rhishja May 27 2010, 05:28 PM

Yes, it's kind of a slap in the face to conservationists that the only recent successful sighting of a live Javan rhino in Vietnam was "accomplished" by a killer. The dung samples collected by the WWF survey (which was going on during the time the rhino was thought to have been killed) will determine if this was the same rhino. If all the samples match this dead rhino, then it may be the absolute worst news of all ... We just have to hope, hope, hope that the samples are from several different rhinos of varying ages and sexes - wouldn't that be terrific news?

Posted by: Kees May 30 2010, 11:12 PM

The latest information from Vietnam: The skeleton of a critically endangered Javan Rhinoceros was found in Vietnam's Cat Tien National Park last month. WWF said it was probably killed by poachers. The rare Javan rhino found dead in the central highlands of Vietnam last month was very likely shot by poachers, according to the World Wildlife Fund’s latest press release. Physical and photographic evidence showed that the female Javan Rhinoceros, found buried at a muddy riverbank in Cat Tien National Park on April 29, had been shot dead and its horn had been removed, WWF said in the statement issued on Thursday. Abnormal cut marks were found where the horn was attached to the skull, it said, adding that a large portion of the upper jaw bone had also been removed. A high caliber bullet was also found embedded in the front left leg of the skeleton, the press release said. Related agencies are conducting tests to find out more about the bullet. Craig Bruce, a rhino expert for the WWF, said the rhino, which weighed nearly one ton and died some five months ago, was probably shot many times by poachers and was seriously injured before dying. Scientific research showed that populations totaling 40-50 rhinos, are now only found on Java in Indonesia, and even less in Vietnam’s Cat Tien National Park. It is now uncertain how many, if any, Javan rhinos are left in Vietnam, the WWF said. Cat Tien National Park Director Tran Van Thanh, meanwhile, said between three and five Javan rhinos are living there. The species, which is perhaps the most endangered large mammal in the world, was first detected in Vietnam by a camera trap in May 1999. It was last photographed in December, 2005. Rhino horns are extremely valuable for their use in traditional Chinese medicine. They are sold at US$30,000 per kilogram.