The natives of Sumatra hunt this animal in several ways. East of Padang, at Padang Reste, three individuals were caught in pits by Malays, according to M?ller.
B?ttikofer tells the following: 'Soon after arrival on the station Poenan Caves, on the western slopes of the Liang Koeboeng, we found in the wet places of the forest numerous tracks of the rhinoceros.
Java. It is the largest animal on that island and is widely distributed, although nowhere numerous and it only lives in the remote jungles. They are found in the extensive wet and watery forests near the coast to the dry and windy summits of mountains to a height of 8000 to 9000 feet above the sea. Mohnike remarked that ?with the size of these animals it is remarkable that they will ascend mountains from 8000 to 10.000 feet high.'
A pair will not tolerate another rhinoceros within half an hour.
The calves at birth are covered with coarse, somewhat wooly hair, dirty white in colour with brown tips. Along the back the hairs form narrow dark stripes.
The colour is greyish brown, darkest on the back, with a pinkish tint on the head and the belly, while within the skinfolds and on the inner side of the upper lip the colour is that of meat with a leadish tint. The calves are lighter in colour, at birth provided with short wooly but rather coarse yellowish or dirty white hairs on the back, which they loose after a few months.
The Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is similar to the animal on the mainland of India. It is distinguished in the following ways: The head is smaller in comparison to the rest of the body, less powerful, lower and less dented on the top. The folds in the neck are more numerous and pronounced, but below they do not form the bibs found in the Indian animal. The most backwards fold in the neck is much deeper and runs above around the shoulders, in such a way that the entire neck is separated from the rest of the body. The division of the scales is clearer, but on the sides of the body they are smaller. It is equal in size to the Indian rhinoceros and somewhat larger than the Sumatran.
From 1974 to 1980 the distribution and behaviour of the Sumatran rhinoceros was examined in one of the few areas where there is still a viable population, the Gunung Leuser National Park in northern Sumatra. As the animals are very shy and rare, the study was conducted through tracks. Individual rhinos could be recognized by comparing he tracks and plastercasts, and the movements of the animals could be traced. Through analysis of the patterns many new aspects of their behaviour could be discovered.
De Wilde tells how he made a trip to the well-known sulphur lake in the district Wanaradja. He was following the paths made by rhinos to a place called Padjagalang or Slaughter Place, because in this place many animals which venture in this area, are found dead. Between all the bones which cover the ground, he found the skeletons of two tigers, numerous snakes, lizards, beetles and rats, but the trail of the rhinoceros proceeded right through the middle and there was even fresh dung to proof that the animal walked here without any fear.
The natives of Sumatra hunt this animal in several ways. East of Padang, at Padang Reste, three individuals were caught in pits by Malays, according to M?ller. To do this, the natives dig pits in the paths of the rhinoceros, which are 6 to 7 feet long and 2 ? to 3 feet wide. The inside of these pits are strengthened around the sides with poles, otherwise the animal would dig in the loose soil and get away. The pit is covered with twigs and leaves. Usually the animal is caught without damage, although sometimes they break their legs when falling into the pit. M?ller paid 60 guilders for a rhinoceros which was caught in this way, while a tapir was 48.30 guilders. The Battas hunt it with guns, by approaching it and shooting with a bullet the size of a thin finger. If that does not work, one will try to get ion front of it to attract his attention, while another will cut its Achilles heel with a sharp knife.
The animal also occurs in Borneo and is said to be especially numerous in the mountain range near the sources of the southern tributaries of the Upper Kapoeas and the Melawi Rivers.
In remote plantations of coffee or other crops it can often do a lot of damage, for which reason there is a premium of 16 guilders for each one that is killed.
The colour is lighter than the Javan and generally brownish grey, but meat coloured around the lips, under the belly and within the folds of the skin. The iris is brown, the horns and nails blackish.
1914, Java, The Chinese and Arabs will pay 10 to 20 guilders for these and for a large horn they will give 50 guilders or more.
In Deli too there is the superstition that poisonous drinks poured into a horn will be discovered by foaming. The horns are therefore very expensive.
The calves are lighter in colour, at birth provided with short wooly but rather coarse yellowish or dirty white hairs on the back, which they loose after a few months.
The Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is similar to the animal on the mainland of India. It is distinguished in the following ways: The head is smaller in comparison to the rest of the body, less powerful, lower and less dented on the top. The folds in the neck are more numerous and pronounced, but below they do not form the bibs found in the Indian animal. The most backwards fold in the neck is much deeper and runs above around the shoulders, in such a way that the entire neck is separated from the rest of the body. The division of the scales is clearer, but on the sides of the body they are smaller. It is equal in size to the Indian rhinoceros and somewhat larger than the Sumatran.
A native hunter told M?ller that he would never touch the rhinoceros in a dense jungle, but that he would try to get them to a forest with large trees or to a valley by yelling at them. There he would shoot them from a tree. He would climb the tree and throw down his shirt, upon which the rhinoceros would attack this cloth offering a good opportunity to shoot it.
The Sumatran Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sumatrensis) is distinguished from the Javan in having two horns, and besides it has a smoother skin, less deep folds which are entirely absent on the hips and neck.
It is a secretive animal which runs away from humans, but when it is cornered or when it has a calf, it will stay put and is often a difficult adversary. Schneider tells about an encounter where the rhinoceros fiercely attacked them without provocation and where they could only escape by running away.
In September, M?ller found a mother and a calf which was about three months old. When the hunters approached, the mother fled and left her calf behind, which had to be killed because it was very wild. The mating season is in August, according to Junghuhn. Every evening after nightfall, he heard a cry which sounded like that of a buffalo, but more refined and more wild. It was the cry of the rhinoceros.
It is less courageous and therefore less dangerous. His temperament is shown by the encounters told by Dr Hagen. Hagen says that 'it often happens that a rhinoceros, during his walks, finds itself in the middle of a new tobacco plantation and it seems then that he is unhappy with this new garden in the middle of his forest. He is not shy or bad, only when it is teased or suddenly found. For instance, shortly before my arrival at the plantation in Serdang, where I would be the doctor, the following had happened. To the surprise of all the Chinese one day there was a large rhinoceros in the tobacco fields and the animal threatened to destroy all the plants. The Chinese, who did not know the animal and thought that it was a cow on the run, tried to scare it away by yelling and when that did not succeed, they decided to throw a loop around the neck and to take the animal to the house of the manager. They succeeded to put a rope around the neck but when they tried to pull it, the animal moved, all the people fell on the ground and the rhinoceros returned to the forest. Another rhinoceros which entered the plantation in the evening, stood gazing at the house of the assistant manager for quite a while, enough time for the man to run for his gun. He shot at the animal but as there were only small bullets in it, the rhino just got frightened and returned into the forest. However, they are not always that calm and I know a plantation manager who once met a rhinoceros which just attacked and he could only save himself with a very lucky shot.'
M?ller tells the following story about a hunt of the rhinoceros, with bad results for one of the members of the nature commission: Mr G. van Raalte, administrator and draughtsman of the Nature Commission together with Dr Macklot was hunting rhinos in the Preanger Regencies near Parang in April 1827. They followed fresh tracks. They had hardly penetrated the dense grasses (glaga) when they heard a loud blowing and sniffing noise, telling them about the proximity of the rhinoceros. Hoping to get the first shot, van Raalte crawled on hands and feet to the place where he suspected the animal, but found nothing. The rhinoceros had noticed the hunters. Suddenly it appeared from its hiding place and run with great speed straight towards Van Raalte, threw him on the ground, took him on the horn and threw the man high into the air, which he repeated several times. The natives fled full of fear. Only one of them, an old faithful hunter, was courageous enough to listen to van Raalte's cries and to return. He approached the animal closely and emptied both barrels of the gun. The animal got frightened by the noise and started to run away. The gun had burst during the shots and probably went into the wrong direction. Van Raalte's condition was very bad, lying there covered with blood and mud, not showing any sign of life. Dr Macklot treated him and without his help he would not have recovered. One of his ribs was broken and he had a bad wound in the stomach, several deep wounds on the left leg, one in the tendons of the right foot. He said that some of the wounds had been made by the teeth of the rhinoceros which had often taken him in his mouth before throwing him in the air.
The colour is greyish brown, darkest on the back, with a pinkish tint on the head and the belly, while within the skinfolds and on the inner side of the upper lip the colour is that of meat with a leadish tint. The calves are lighter in colour, at birth provided with short wooly but rather coarse yellowish or dirty white hairs on the back, which they loose after a few months.
The iris is brown, the horns and nails blackish.
In the forest he follows his own paths, which he will only extend when he needs to do so to get food.
The rhinoceros lives solitary or sometimes in pairs in the densest parts of the forest
The calves are lighter in colour, at birth provided with short wooly but rather coarse yellowish or dirty white hairs on the back, which they loose after a few months.
The Sumatran Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sumatrensis) is distinguished from the Javan in having two horns, and besides it has a smoother skin, less deep folds which are entirely absent on the hips and neck.
The Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is similar to the animal on the mainland of India. It is distinguished in the following ways: The head is smaller in comparison to the rest of the body, less powerful, lower and less dented on the top. The folds in the neck are more numerous and pronounced, but below they do not form the bibs found in the Indian animal. The most backwards fold in the neck is much deeper and runs above around the shoulders, in such a way that the entire neck is separated from the rest of the body. The division of the scales is clearer, but on the sides of the body they are smaller. It is equal in size to the Indian rhinoceros and somewhat larger than the Sumatran.
B?ttikofer tells the following: 'Soon after arrival on the station Poenan Caves, on the western slopes of the Liang Koeboeng, we found in the wet places of the forest numerous tracks of the rhinoceros. At the same time we found many numerous young treetrunks, about the thickness of an arm, which had been broken off just above the ground or had been uprooted, of which the leaves and twigs had been eaten. My Dajak guide said that it was the work of the Badak. They press the tree down and they walk over it with the tree under their belly, while eating the leaves and twigs. Such a small tree cannot recover again. We also found fresh dung of the animal, which resembled that of a cow. After some time I returned to the same place and the soft parts had been washed away by the rain, leaving only a wooden mass like sawdust. This is sufficient proof that the animal eats a lot of wood together with the leaves. Unfortunately I have never seen one, because when my hunters saw some during the first days of our visit, they shot at them and they disappeared from the area.'
The food of the rhinoceros consists of all kinds of leaves, grass, thin branches etc. He likes the leaves of Ficus nivea and Ficus fistulosa, young sprouts of the bamboo, glaga, alang alang. In remote plantations of coffee or other crops it can often do a lot of damage, for which reason there is a premium of 16 guilders for each one that is killed.
The iris is brown, the horns and nails blackish.
The colour is lighter than the Javan and generally brownish grey, but meat coloured around the lips, under the belly and within the folds of the skin. The iris is brown, the horns and nails blackish.
The Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is similar to the animal on the mainland of India. It is distinguished in the following ways: The head is smaller in comparison to the rest of the body, less powerful, lower and less dented on the top. The folds in the neck are more numerous and pronounced, but below they do not form the bibs found in the Indian animal. The most backwards fold in the neck is much deeper and runs above around the shoulders, in such a way that the entire neck is separated from the rest of the body. The division of the scales is clearer, but on the sides of the body they are smaller. It is equal in size to the Indian rhinoceros and somewhat larger than the Sumatran.
B?ttikofer tells the following: 'Soon after arrival on the station Poenan Caves, on the western slopes of the Liang Koeboeng, we found in the wet places of the forest numerous tracks of the rhinoceros. At the same time we found many numerous young treetrunks, about the thickness of an arm, which had been broken off just above the ground or had been uprooted, of which the leaves and twigs had been eaten. My Dajak guide said that it was the work of the Badak. They press the tree down and they walk over it with the tree under their belly, while eating the leaves and twigs. Such a small tree cannot recover again. We also found fresh dung of the animal, which resembled that of a cow. After some time I returned to the same place and the soft parts had been washed away by the rain, leaving only a wooden mass like sawdust. This is sufficient proof that the animal eats a lot of wood together with the leaves. Unfortunately I have never seen one, because when my hunters saw some during the first days of our visit, they shot at them and they disappeared from the area.'
The food of the rhinoceros consists of all kinds of leaves, grass, thin branches etc. He likes the leaves of Ficus nivea and Ficus fistulosa, young sprouts of the bamboo, glaga, alang alang. In remote plantations of coffee or other crops it can often do a lot of damage, for which reason there is a premium of 16 guilders for each one that is killed.
The iris is brown, the horns and nails blackish.
The calves at birth are covered with coarse, somewhat wooly hair, dirty white in colour with brown tips. Along the back the hairs form narrow dark stripes.
The iris is brown, the horns and nails blackish.
the head is 0.70 m
Outside the mating season it is rare to find two together.
The rhinoceros lives solitary or sometimes in pairs in the densest parts of the forest, where it visits early in the morning and at dusk the edges of the low forest. During most of the day, especially around noon, it immerses in the swamp or in a wallow which he frequently visits.
In size, its length from the tip of the snout to the start of the tail is 2.48 m, the head is 0.70 m, the tail 0.32 m and the height 1.35 m.
The mating season is in August, according to Junghuhn. Every evening after nightfall, he heard a cry which sounded like that of a buffalo, but more refined and more wild. It was the cry of the rhinoceros. It produces a loud sniffing and blowing noise which can be heard from a great distance, before it can be seen.
In the mountains it prefers the slopes in the wide and level valleys with streams of small lakes and swamps where it can take bath. Like the buffalo, it lies fully under the water during the heat of the day, with only the front part of the head with the nose and the eyes above the water, or it is found wallowing in the mud.
The animal also occurs in Borneo and is said to be especially numerous in the mountain range near the sources of the southern tributaries of the Upper Kapoeas and the Melawi Rivers. The natives tell about a species with three horns and Mr Pryer once saw a skull with three horns, although the third was quite tiny.
According to the natives, the female has one calf every 2 to 2 ? years.
The natives believe that the horn of the rhinoceros will detect poison when it is put in a liquid. It is called Tandokh-badak. The Malay and Sundanese call it Tjoela-badakh. Amulets made of the horn will ward off any kind of accident. The Chinese and Arabs will pay 10 to 20 guilders for these and for a large horn they will give 50 guilders or more. From the hide they make whips and it is also used to prepare a medicine when it is dried. The blood is dried and is used as a powder in apothecaries. Also the two small incisors from the middle of the lower jaw are used as amulets.
the height 1.35 m.
The tail 0.32 m
