The Javan rhino is listed as the 1st animal on WWF’s list of the 10 world’s most endangered animals, and I for my part, had never heard of it! If you hadn’t either, we’re changing that now.
A bit about the rhino’s lifestyle
The Javan rhinos are now exclusively found on the island of Java in Indonesia, but were once found in vast regions of northeast india and Southeast Asia. They have a dark grey colour which looks almost black when wet, and their (often pink) skin folds look a bit like plated armor. Both males and females have lower incisors which resemble tusks that they use to fight. Males have one relatively short horn of about 25 cm (10 inches).
Javan Rhinos live in tropical forests, marshy areas and in the thick bush. They are mainly browsers and eat over 100 plants species they find in the forest, weigh between 900 and 2300 kg (1984-5071 pounds) and are between 3 and 3.2 meters (10- 10.5 feet) long.
How endangered are we talking?
Javan rhinos are the most endangered animal species of the world, and thus the most endangered of the 5 rhino species too. Their habitat has been reduced to only the Ujung Kulon National Park where only an estimated 70-75 rhinos live. They have extreme problems to combat and can only survive with human protection and aid.
Why are they endangered?
The population left in the national park is being intensely monitored and studied and we know that the Javan rhino is suffering under
- The low genetic diversity: Due to the very small population left, the genetic diversity leaves much to be desired. And the less genetic diversity there is, the more difficult is it for the species to adapt and survive, as anyone who listened in bio class knows.
- Natural Disasters: The Javan Rhino’s last remaining habitat is located in an area extremely prone to tsunamis and near a volcano. On top of that comes climate change and rising sea levels which also threaten the park.
- Invasive Species: The Arenga Palm has overtaken parts of the park, reduced habitat quality and the plants that naturally occur there by spreading extremely quickly and blocking the light, making it hard for the plants the Javan Rhinos eat, to grow. There is also the Javan Banteng, an invasive species whose diet overlaps with that of the Javan rhino. This doesn’t necessarily seem problematic at first, but considering that the Javan Rhino needs about 50 kg of food daily, no competition is welcome.
- Illegal trade and poaching: One of the main reasons Javan rhinos are so endangered are naturally humans, the excessive demand for rhino horns and its use in traditional Chinese medicine for example are widely known to be a problem for all rhinos.
- Reduced habitat: As these rhinos thrive in the tropical rainforest, they have naturally been a victim of deforestation and human invasion of the natural world, and continue to be closed in upon by people.
- Disease: Javan rhinos seem to catch a lethal disease from water buffalos and in recent years, 4-5 have been found dead, with their horns still intact.
What’s being done?
There are different approaches planned and various efforts already running to help the Javan rhino survive:
- The Arenga palm is being cut down and moved from the rhino’s habitat
- WWF is planning to establish a second population in a different location
- The Javan rhinos are constantly being surveyed and protected to best efforts in the national park
This was just a quick introduction, people often have little time, so I try to keep this short so that they feel they have the time to read about nature and animals. But as I was collecting my information from these websites, I really enjoyed looking into the rhino-problem itself, but also these organisations. So if you’re further interested in this, I would check out the websites I used as my sources!
On top of that is this the 10th Endangered Animal post, and the series is therefore finished! I’m really excited to have started and ended this series, although E. B-P did most of the work in between. Nonetheless I hope you enjoyed this series and can now brag with your knowledge about random animals.
Have a great day guys!
Your Green World Team💚
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/animal/Javan-rhinoceros
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/javan-rhino
https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/wildlife/endangered-animals
https://www.ifaw.org/animals/javan-rhinos
https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino-info/rhino-species/javan-rhino/
Image:
“DSC0001/JAVA Map”, owned by
dany13 (on
flickr.com), is licensed
under CC BY 2.0.
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