Malaysia's last Sumatran rhinoceros has died. Here's why it's important.
Iman, the last surviving Sumatran rhinoceros in Malaysia, has died, meaning the future of the species looks particularly grim.
According to the International Rhino Foundation, Iman was 25 years old, and since being captured in 2014, spent her days inhabiting a wildlife reserve in the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo. She died of cancer.
Iman was the very last surviving member of the subspecies in Malaysia, after Tam, the last male Sumatran rhinoceros in the country, died in May 2018. This means the species now survives only in parts of Indonesia, in very small numbers — fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos remain alive, many of which are sheltered in protected forests and rescue facilities in Indonesia.
“The passing of Iman, Malaysia’s last known Sumatran rhino, marks a tragic milestone for this species," said Jon Paul Rodriguez, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, in a statement.
"A tragic milestone for this species."
"With fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos left on the planet, the species’ last hope lies in Indonesia. Iman’s death underscores the urgency of the global community's efforts to save the Sumatran rhino from extinction and we are committed to continuing our work to support the government of Indonesia’s Emergency Action Plan to save this species."
Iman, like Tam, was cared for by an NGO called the Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA), who have been racing the clock to save the Sumatran rhino from extinction through breeding.
BORA posted an incredibly moving tribute to Iman on Facebook, in the form of a letter.
"You were also the sweetest soul, who brought so much joy and hope to all of us," it read. "May we be as strong as you in our urgent fight to save your species. May we be as courageous as you to never give up."
Sumatran rhinos are the smallest living rhinos in the world, and the only Asian rhino sporting two horns, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). They usually live between 35 and 40 years and only exist on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
According to the WWF, the Sumatran rhino "currently competes with the Javan rhino for the unenviable title of most threatened rhino species."
Though Sumatran rhinos were already declared extinct in the wild in Malaysia in 2015, with poaching and habitat loss identified by a study as the main reasons, Tam's death in particular was incredibly bad news for the survival of the species — as the last male, he took with him strong chances of breeding little rhinos.
Malaysia has reportedly been attempting to breed the rhinos using the reproductive technology in vitro fertilization (IVF) since 2011, but it's been an unsuccessful journey so far. Genetic material from both Iman and Tam has been preserved for future breeding attempts, though.
"There is limited knowledge about Sumatran rhino reproductive physiology and converting cells in a laboratory into viable embryos is complex," said Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, in a statement. "Still, there is hope for the survival of Sumatran rhinos."
Male Sumatran rhino Harapan at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia. He was born in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. Credit: Tatan Syuflana / AP / Shutterstock Iman and Tam's deaths notably come months and weeks respectively after the UN published an exhaustive report on the globe's increasingly perilous extinction rate — the highest we've seen in human history. Scientists annually highlight this, listing the species that after millions of years of existence on this planet, are gone for good.
Rhinos, pursued and killed by humans for their horns, and subject to the global effects of human-induced habitat loss and climate change, are just one species suffering from this extinction crisis.