Weekly Environmental Fact – Javan Rhino
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
Smoooooooooooch!!
Hey gang, Weekly Environmental Fact time. It is always so bittersweet to write about these amazing animals that are nearing extinction. The Javan Rhinoceros is the topic of this week’s post and it is an incredibly cool animal who has had a tragic interaction with humans. The Javan Rhino was once the most populous Asian rhino, but sadly it is now critically endangered and arguably the most rare large mammal on Earth. There are only two groups of these incredible animals left in the wild, one tiny group in Vietnam and another slightly larger group on the Island of Java in Indonesia.
Not only are these animals incredibly cute, but they are also very interesting animals. Like most rhinos, they are very shy and would generally never attack or harm a human, but they also have terrible eyesight and if they get confused and panic have been known to charge at humans and stand their ground. These rhinos are seriously solitary, they generally exist by themselves only congregating with others in small groups at salt licks or mud wallows. There are currently none in captivity and there has not been a successful specimen in a zoo in over 100 years. They are one of those magical animals that is so wild that they just do not do well in captivity. Loss of habitat is one big reason for the decline in population of these beasts, but poaching has been their primary enemy. These creatures are so shy and there have been several reports of them in Cambodia, on the Island of Borneo and other places, but conservationists have not been able to find evidence of them in these places. Hopefully the Javan Rhino is hiding from poachers and mankind successfully and are more resilient than we currently think! What do you think of Javan Rhinos? Leave your comments here!
-Mio
