Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, Indonesia

Location: Way Kambas National Parks in Sumatra Project leader: Bibhab Talukdar Project partners: Indonesian Rhino Conservation Programme and the International Rhino Foundation Rhino species: Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) Rhino numbers: 5 Sumatran rhinos Activities: captive breeding and education Support: We help raise money to cover the core costs of the Sanctuary: staff salaries, vehicle running costs, veterinary supplies and non-browse nutritional supplements Funding partners: International Rhino Foundation, Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation, BBC Wildlife Fund, Chester Zoo

In recognition of the difficulty of protecting wild populations, in 1984 the IUCN/SSC Asian Rhino Specialist Group recommended that a captive breeding programme be developed, thus establishing a dual approach to Sumatran rhino conservation: protecting wild populations through the RPUs and running a breeding programme at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) within a semi-natural environment in Way Kambas National Park.

The SRS was developed to accommodate the few remaining rhinos living in isolation in zoos and to increase breeding opportunities. Its objective is successfully to breed Sumatran rhinos, which, as appropriate / feasible, could eventually be reintroduced to the wild. This will be achieved by generating interdisciplinary scholarly knowledge about the basic biology of the Sumatran rhino, using an integrated approach incorporating reproductive biology, nutrition, behaviour, immunology, veterinary medicine, and other disciplines.

100 hectares of high-quality rhino habitat has been fenced and 14 persons are employed, including two veterinarians. The Sanctuary is home to five animals since the 2007 arrival of captive-born Andalas. It is hoped that he will breed with the other two rescued, young, healthy females. Sumatran rhinos have been very difficult to breed, but in recent years, the Cincinnati Zoo (the only captive facility holding Sumatran rhinos) has been very successful in breeding the species, and is working very closely with the SRS by offering in-kind technical as well as financial support. Furthermore, the current population at SRS is integral as a research and “insurance” population for this Critically Endangered species.

The long-term aim is to develop a scientifically managed and viable captive population that provides a key piece of the integrated conservation management strategy for Sumatran rhinos. The two young female rhinos (Rosa and Ratu) at the SRS have now reached sexual maturity, and it is expected that “Andalas”, the young male, will reach sexual maturity within 2009. The rhinos are regularly being introduced to each other, and staff have high hopes for a successfully pregnancy within the next three years.