Last rare rhinoceros in Vietnam killed by poacher, group says
The killing of the last Javan rhinoceros means the population is gone forever from Vietnam, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
October 25th, 2011
09:40 AM ET

Last rare rhinoceros in Vietnam killed by poacher, group says

Vietnam's rare Javan rhinoceros was declared extinct in that area after poachers killed the last remaining animal in the country for its horns, the World Wildlife Fund said.

“Vietnam must see this loss as another warning sign of its looming wave of species extinctions,” Dr. Barney Long, WWF’s Asian species expert, said in a statement. “The single most important action that is needed to save remaining threatened species like tigers and elephants is protection.”

The country had been struggling to keep the population alive amid widespread poaching that the WWF said was the cause of many Asian rhino species being brought to the "brink of extinction."

The WWF said people in certain parts of Asia believe the horns, when ground down and dissolved in boiling water, help treat typhoid fever or even cancer, the WWF said, noting that there has been no scientific proof of that.

The group said trying to bring the species back into the area won't work.

“Reintroduction of the rhinoceros to Vietnam is not economically or practically feasible," WWF’s Asian Elephant and Rhino Program Coordinator Dr. Christy Williams said.  "It is gone from Vietnam forever."

So now, the Javan rhino only exists in one area in the world, according to the WWF.

The Javan rhinoceros is in danger of becoming extinct.

The group reported that there is one population of less than 50 animals in the Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia. Now, workers will turn their attention there, working with anti-poaching patrols to hopefully keep the species from going extinct.

“For the Javan rhino, we now have to focus entirely on one site in Indonesia where strengthened protection is needed along with fast-tracking the proposed translocation and habitat management,” Long said.

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Filed under: Rhinos • Vietnam
soundoff (878 Responses)
  1. Poacher

    Who would kill Rhino? He was a helluva wrestler.

    October 28, 2011 at 4:20 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Ballson Chinn

    Wait for it....someone's gonna blame this on Obama.

    October 28, 2011 at 4:21 pm | Report abuse |
  3. MrRightWing

    Wait wait wait. We know animal extinction isn't caused by man. I suppose we are to blame of the extinction of dinosaurs? This is just a left-wing , Obama conspiricy. Animals go extinct all the time, and it's just the way of the earth. Like the whole "global-warming" thing. Man (right-wing men, that is) rules the earth.

    October 31, 2011 at 1:23 pm | Report abuse |
    • dblake

      There is a saying here that AL-gore is a foolish man and very arrogant because he thinks that a small insignificant creature can effect the weather." Look at the means which a man employs, consider his motives, observe his pleasures. A man simply cannot conceal himself"! Confucius Al Gore has obtained many riches with his false teachings. Dishonesty is so grasping it would deceive God himself, were it possible.George Bancroft It is unfortunate that so many men have lied and misled the world for their on selfish gains.

      November 7, 2011 at 1:40 am | Report abuse |
  4. Grim Reaper

    Open up a hunting season on poachers.

    November 3, 2011 at 10:05 pm | Report abuse |
  5. dblake

    The animal death is tragic. What is not known was the animal used to feed a village of hungry people. People before animals.

    November 7, 2011 at 1:05 am | Report abuse |
  6. dblake

    How do we know that it is misinformation. What arrogance the western world has? Who are you to make such judgements, when your men pop Viagra so as they can perform at a minimum level. You assume that we have not observed and that we are not capable of analyzing the result of our observation. Pure western arrogance.

    November 7, 2011 at 1:11 am | Report abuse |
  7. dblake

    New york City: "The events of Genovese's death are subject to dispute. Certain accounts suggest that her cries for help were heard and ignored by numerous residents at the apartment. Other accounts, as detailed below, suggest that residents did not hear her pleas or did provide assistance or both. The exact details of what happened are unknown.
    Genovese had driven home from her job working as a bar manager early in the morning of March 13, 1964. Arriving home at about 3:15 a.m. she parked in the Long Island Rail Road parking lot about 100 feet (30 m) from her apartment's door, located in an alley way at the rear of the building. As she walked towards the building she was approached by Winston Moseley.[2] Frightened, Genovese began to run across the parking lot and towards the front of her building located on Austin Street trying to make it up to the corner towards the major thoroughfare of Lefferts Boulevard. However, Moseley, who ran after her, quickly overtook her and stabbed her twice in the back. Genovese screamed, "Oh my God, he stabbed me! Help me!" Her cry was heard by several neighbors but, on a cold night with the windows closed, only a few of them recognized the sound as a cry for help. When Robert Mozer, one of the neighbors, shouted at the attacker, "Let that girl alone!" Moseley ran away and Genovese slowly made her way toward the rear entrance of her apartment building.[9] She was seriously injured, but now out of view of those few who may have had reason to believe she was in need of help".(1( American don't care ignored the call for help and then let her lay and die. This is as misleading as your statements that Asian don't care about life.

    ! From Wikipedia, Murder of Kitty Genovese

    November 7, 2011 at 1:51 am | Report abuse |
  8. Bill

    What can we really expect from yet another backwards myth-based culture. This sort of stuff is sad but we need to remember where it all happens and by whom. Monkey brains, sacred cows and all the rest...irrelevant....let 'em do their thing and just let them be.

    November 7, 2011 at 8:04 am | Report abuse |
  9. AtlasObjectivist

    Wildlife control under communism.

    November 8, 2011 at 2:24 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Mike Buck

    To D Blake; It is the "people before animals" mantra that has got us into this mess. What will happen when there are no more animals? What ever happened to the Animal Contract? We filled it full of bullet holes with our laser sighted AK 47's.

    November 12, 2011 at 8:46 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Mike Buck

    Mr. Right Wing Man. You sir, are an IDIOT!

    November 12, 2011 at 8:48 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Another American who is FED up!!

    WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???????? WON'T BE HAPPY UNTIL YOU KILL EVERYTHING???????? YOU SUCK!!!!!!

    November 14, 2011 at 2:40 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Another American who is FED up!!

    HOPE MOTHER EARTH TAKES YOUR BUTTS RIGHT OFF THIS PLANET.....AGAIN YOU SUCK IF YOU KILL!!!

    HOPE YOU ALL GET WHATS COMING TO YOU!!!

    November 14, 2011 at 2:42 pm | Report abuse |
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