The Last Male Sumatran Rhino In Malaysia Has Died

There are five species of living rhinoceros in total. They're special creatures. Identifiable by their unique horns, they're some of the last examples of megafauna — basically, giant creatures that used to be more common in earlier times.

This map displays things in stark terms. While rhinos were once widespread throughout Africa and Southeast Asia, they currently inhabit just a small sliver of their original habitats because of human encroachment.

Also known as the hairy rhino or Asian two-horned rhino, the Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest member of the family. Unlike some of its relatives, its historic habitat is relatively small: mostly rainforests and swamps in Asia.

You can see where these Sumatran rhino families live in dark orange above. Four are in Sumatra, while one is in Borneo. It's just a tiny component of the habitat they once had.

In Malaysia in particular, the Sumatran rhinoceros has already been declared extinct. After recent news, it appears that we'll have to say goodbye to this rhino's population in Malaysia.

Named Tam, the last male of this species was found back in 2008, and then transferred to Tabin Wildlife Reserve. Biologists attempted breeding programs, but none were successful. In May of 2019, Tam passed away.

Just over two years ago, Malaysia had three Sumatran rhinos: Tam, and two females, Puntung and Iman. Puntung was put down after a cancer diagnosis in 2017, meaning Iman is the last remaining Sumatran rhino in Malaysia.

Indeed, there are five colonies living in the wild. But all in all, it's thought that there are less than 80 total rhinos within these colonies — a number that makes it difficult to grow the population.

A 2018 initiative from several conservation nonprofits, the Sumatran Rhino Rescue, sought to capture wild rhinos and bring them together to kickstart breeding programs. This may be the only hope for this species.

Like pandas, Sumatran rhinos don't exactly breed like rabbits. Isolation and low populations mean that potential mates can't always find each other. Then there's the fact that female rhinos can have difficulty conceiving if they're over a certain age.

While numbers have dipped perilously low, there's still hope for the Sumatran rhino. The large-scale breeding program is a good sign. Even news about individual rhinos dying serves as a way to bring attention to the cause.

We're responsible for almost all of the changes to our planet that have made it difficult for many species to thrive. With our considerable resources, we need to do more to ensure a positive future.

h/t National Geographic