Today I am going to write about the Sumatran Rhinoceros.

The Sumatran Rhino is dying out! :(

Since 1990, the Sumatran Rhinoceros (scientific name: Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, local name: badak sumbu) has been identified as ‘the most seriously endangered species of large mammals in the world’. In other words, out of the five rhinoceros species, the Sumatran Rhino is one of the four that is critically endangered. Any more poaching and habitat loss, it would end up like the dodo.

Why should you give a darn? Hmm… good question. Well, if I were to have my own children, I would want them to be able to see a rhinoceros in real life. Not in pictures, not in movies, not flash animated, but in the flesh, even if I would have to drag them to a zoo (“what mom, actually going OUT?! That is so medieval…”).

A Sumatran Rhino saying hi…

The last time I saw a rhino was at the Perth Zoo. It was a Southern White Rhinoceros, it was big and rather smelly (I mean, what did you expect?), and… that’s it. The kids there loved the giant, and I could only imagine our kids experiencing the same feelings of awe when seeing a real rhino at the zoo. I am not sure if there’s a Sumatran rhino in our local zoo, maybe it’s time I go visit Zoo Negara…

The Sumatran rhino is considered a Malaysian heritage because it’s the only rhino species found in Malaysia. Among the 5 existing rhino species, the Sumatran rhino is the smallest in size (weighing between 600kg – 950kg), but no less in stature. It is estimated that there are only 300 Sumatran rhinos left in the entire world. Could be more, could be less, most likely to be less. Doesn’t help that their lifespan is about 50 years, and it takes a long time for them to breed…

Some folks measuring the size of a Sumatran rhino foot print…

As mentioned earlier, the two most damaging reasons why the Sumatran rhinos are endangered are:

1) Loss of habitat, due to excessive and illegal logging
2) Poaching, mostly ‘thanks’ to the perceived value of its horns

In traditional Chinese medicine, the rhinoceros horn in powdered form is prescribed for fevers and convulsions. The rich would prefer to buy the more expensive rhinoceros horn (Wikipedia.org cited it to be at least US$200 per gram), rather than the cheaper substitutes like water buffalo horn. I think you can see an example of such beliefs in the ‘cooling water’ being sold in abundance everywhere…

Well, all these and more are threatening the lives and very existence of the Sumatran rhinoceros. Sien is an understatement.

Honda-WWF Rhino Rescue Project

With all that in mind, Honda Malaysia took the initiative to partner with WWF Malaysia. Together they came up with a 5-year project to save the Sumatran rhinos. The collaboration includes a contribution RM 5 million over a span of 5 years, as well as various activities and campaigns to raise awareness about the endangered Sumatran rhino. Something like this blog post, and I hope I’ve done my part :)

Be a Sumatran Rhino friend!

Honda’s Rhino Rescue Project was initiated in 2006, and the cause is considered to be one of the most challenging conservation efforts. Well for the sake of the Sumatran rhinos, I hope the project succeeds, and that they would continue to commit to the cause long after the project’s time line.

Doe-eyed school children part of the conservation efforts.. raising awareness, that is

To end, here’s a summary of past events for the Honda Malaysia & WWF-Malaysia Rhino Rescue Project:

• January 2006 – Launch of Rhino Rescue Project
• June 2006 – WWF-Malaysia First Photo of Sumatran Rhino in the Wild
• October 2006 – Feature Article on Rhino Rescue Project
• November 2006 – Interview with WWF-Malaysia Team Leaders
• January / February 2007 – Honda Malaysia School Programme to 4 Primary Schools in Klang Valley
• April 2007 – WWF-Malaysia Captured First Video Footage of Sumatran Rhino in the Wild

Upcoming events:

• August / September 2007 – Honda Malaysia School Programme to 8 Primary Schools in Klang Valley
• January 2008 – Honda Malaysia School Programme to 4 Primary Schools in Johor Bahru
• March 2008 – Honda Malaysia School Programme to 4 Primary Schools in Penang

Good luck :)

Almost almost end note: You can read more about the rhinoceros and Sumatran rhino on Wikipedia.org here and here. More from other blogs: Nuffnang, Suet Li

Almost end note: Do check out their flashy website here: http://www.honda.com.my/rhino. There are some stuff that you may find interesting, e.g. one single recycled glass bottle would save enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes. Heh, I spent a significant amount of time on the website yesterday ;)

End note: If you are a blogger and want to be a Sumatran Rhino friend (for what purpose you ask? I just think it’s cool ;) ), you can put up a small banner on your blog to show your support for the worthy cause. You can hotlink and obtain other information you need here.