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Evidence of endangered rhinos found on Borneo

A Malaysian expedition found evidence of at least 13 Sumatran rhinos deep in the jungles of Borneo, giving hope to conservationists that a species thought to be nearly extinct could flourish again if poaching is controlled.

The rhinos were tracked into the dense jungles of Sabah state in Borneo Island last May by a team of 120 government wildlife officials, academics and members of WWF-Malaysia, the WWF said in a statement yesterday.

The survey team did not see any rhinos but found clear tracks of 13 individuals in one area, a high number considering they were believed to be virtually extinct, said Christy Williams, the head of WWF's Asian rhino program.

"This is the first time we have found so many rhinos in a compact location ... it's a great discovery," Williams said in a telephone interview from Kathmandu, Nepal.

WWF is the worldwide conservation group, also known as World Wildlife Fund.

The survey team trekked through jungles in heavy tropical rains during the two-week expedition, Williams said.

Their discovery -- in an area known as the "Heart of Borneo" -- was not made public until now to allow officials time to erect "strong protection measures" against poachers, the WWF statement said.

Rhino protection units of WWF-Malaysia and Sabah state have now launched patrols in the area, it said.

"Poaching has decimated Borneo's once-healthy rhino population, but we were heartened to find that a few individuals have managed to cling to survival," said Raymond Alfred of WWF-Malaysia.

Sabah is the last preserve of the Borneo Sumatran Rhino, a subspecies of the Sumatran Rhino. It has already become extinct in Kalimantan and Sarawak, hunted by poachers for its horn, which is virtually worth its weight in gold in the black-market for use in traditional Asian medicines.
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