The Future of Rhinos in Indonesia

The greatest treasures any country could possess are their environment, the wildlife that live within, and its culture. The onslaught of modernisation in Indonesia has resulted in rapid loss of the former two of those treasures. Who’s to blame?.

The first finger, of course, gets pointed at the illegal loggers and their greedy intrusion into national parks. Another to blame would be the farmers with their incessant land clearing. Then, there is the Indonesia Government for not rectifying these two major problems. But good news, albeit small, is on the horizon.

Andalas, a male Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), was brought from the U.S.A and now resides at Suaka Rhino Sumatra (SRS) in Way Kambas National Park, East Lampung. Andalas, is a double-horned rhino, weighing 600 kilograms and measuring two meters long. It is hoped that propagation will occur to increase the Rhino population.

Sumatran rhinos have been in constant danger of extinction for the past 20 years because of the escalation of illegal hunting and logging as well as land conservation in Lampung’s national parks.

While no more forest concessions have been granted since the 1990s, such illegal activities continue in Lampung due to the high demand for logs and the widespread operation of wildlife trading syndicates.