Capture of rare Sumatran rhino gives hope for species

[ via Google ] 26 Dec

Malaysian wildlife authorities said Monday the capture of a young female Borneo Sumatran rhino had given them a last chance to save the highly endangered species from extinction.

The female rhino, aged between 10 and 12 years old, was caught on December 18 and is being kept in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah on the Malaysian area of Borneo island where it is hoped it will breed with a lone captive male.

The female rhino, which has been named Puntung, was caught in a joint operation by the Borneo Rhino Alliance and the Sabah Wildlife Department.

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Black Rhino declared extinct in West Africa

Full story / Photo: BBC Science and Environment 10 November 2011

Black Rhino

The Red List, drawn up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has declared the subspecies extinct, as "no wild black rhinos remain in West Africa."

The IUCN also warns that the northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a subspecies in central Africa, is also on the brink of extinction.

Read full story for details on many other species becoming extinct.

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