Time is running out to save Sumatran rhino species
Published on: Wednesday, November 20, 2019
By: Sherell Jeffrey
Kota Kinabalu: Time is running out for the Sabah Government to save the nation’s near-extinct Sumatran rhinoceros as planned cooperation with Indonesia to propagate the species through fertilisation has yet to materialise.
Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew said the State Government cannot wait any longer to rescue the rhino, which may have only up to January next year to live.
ADVERTISEMENT "We need to do it [fertilisation of Iman's egg] urgently, but there are terms and conditions that we need to agree upon before we can start the procedure," said Liew in a press conference here Wednesday.
"The Memorandum of Understanding that I understand is nearly ready to be signed with Indonesia includes collaboration on research, reproductive biology, husbandry and exchange of knowledge and experience.
“Among them is to come to an agreement as to where the baby rhino [if fertilisation procedure is successful] will go to, whether to Sabah or to Indonesia.
“Whatever happens, I would like to assure interested parties that our interest to collaborate with Indonesia remains strong because we want to play our role to help prevent what is emerging as the first mammal species extinction of the 21st century.”
ADVERTISEMENT The last Sumatran rhinoceros, a female named Iman (pic), was captured in 2014, and no others have been detected in Sabah ever since.
Liew said with collaborators from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany, Sabah now has the unique experience of managing the sorts of reproductive pathology that also occur in rhinos in Indonesia, as well as the application of various advanced reproductive technologies to Sumatran rhinos.
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It is understood that the Ministry through its Wildlife Department has harvested one egg from Iman which it hopes can be fertilised with sperms from younger rhinos in Indonesia.
The fertilisation process can be carried out either at Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s laboratory in Sandakan or in Indonesia, which also has similar facilities to conduct the procedure.
"A team led by Dr Zainal Zahari Zainuddin, which is looking after Iman in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, reported that her health is steadily declining," said Liew, who is also Sabah Deputy Chief Minister.
Liew said the problem is that the tumours in Iman's uterus, detected soon after her capture in March 2014, have been growing in size since then.
Although they are not malignant, they are spreading to her urinary bladder, said Liew, who expected to make a trip to Indonesia next week for the matter.
"The veterinarians told me that there is no way to halt the growth of these tumours, and surgery to remove them always was and still is too dangerous – there would be inevitable major blood loss that would result in her quick demise,” she said.
It was noted that Iman's weight at 476kg this week has dropped by 44kg, less than her average weight over the past few years.
Despite being given the best care and best selection of food with veterinarians assigned to watch her round-the-clock, the 25-year-old rhino is not eating her normal amount.
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"The situation reminds us of the case of Puntung, who was euthanised on 4 June 2017, because her squamous cell carcinoma was incurable and she was suffering pain," said Liew, referring to Malaysia’s last male Sumatran rhino.
Liew said various options will need to be considered based on the advice of experienced veterinarians.