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.
I hate people, all that needs to be said...
I have an old cigarette box carved from a rhinoceros horn. It's on a coffee table now, but I wonder how much money I could get for it.
On the other hand, maybe I should just chew on its edges and see what happens.
It's important to continure to try, but prospects are dim. Human selfishness has no equal.
Anyone having Vietnamese Rhino for dinner tonight? If so, please, go diaf
yummy pho rhino...NOT! what a shame always bad news out of that country...they have serious issue!
Humans should not be allowed to reproduce anymore until the animals can have a chance to come back. We need charities that give vasectomies to people, not food.
Well said David, and 100% agreed
Totally agree with you David, it's time that higher benefits and incentives were payed to those oath less or no children and those who continue to breed receive less. This would start to solve the problem.
Agreed.
Are you joking?
@ Practical, not at all.
I'm with Practical.... though we should encourage better protection of animals in other countries.... some of the commentaries are so far out in the LEFT field and far fetched it's scary.
Sadly, once again, Humans = won, Rare Species= loss
We'll, if humans =/= won then you wouldn't be in existence to type your stupid post
Beautiful creature. Shame this had to happen.
Look what we did
Look what we're doing
Look what we'll eventually do
we are here in america
they are in vietnam
they are hungry
we have grocery store
they have jungle
Tim, they were not killed for food by a starving population. They were killed because of backwards illiterate people grinding their horns up for viagra, or whatever they will say its for. The continent of Asia is becoming the single-handed destroyer of wildlife.
@Tim. They weren't slaughtered to extinction for their meat – just the horn which doesn't even serve the purpose for which it was taken.
It stated there's no scientific proof that the horn medicine worked but there's no proof that it didn't... Tim is right it's not like they can go to the store and pick up some med's. Human life will always be more important than an animals sorry to burst your bubble.
According to the article the animal was killed for the horns, but Mary, Steve and Murdoch the Vietnamese do kill wild animals for the meat as well... the report doesn't say anything about whether the rest of the animal wasn't used, so don't assume that as well.
The circle of life just got smaller....
stupid idiot poachers, and those retarded idiots that think these medicine man wives tales actually work, should all be poached and made extinct.
I'm sure it was done for money. Not much different from what happens in this country and what people here do for money.
So what's the big deal here? How many Vietcong civilians did we murder in our war in the name of democracy? One million? Please, give me a break! By the way, there's one roaming wildly on Crawford ranch. Vietnam could have it if they so choose!!!
Whats the big deal? JOE, you are an embarrassment to Americans. People like you give United States citizens a bad name. Moron.
So what do Rhinos in Vietnam have to do with the Vietnam War and President Bush even? You are suh an idiot! If you hate America so much, go live in Vietnam you dope.
Read the article Joe. Adding another Rhino in Vietnam is a non starter.
You mean the Vietcong weren't expecting any casualties while invading the south? Was it just supposed to be some sort of cakewalk to take over another country? What meds are you on anyway?
I tried to get Ebay to stop allowing elephants products to be sold out of Zimbabwe. It worked for a minute but keeping up with that is a full time job. Now lets focus on China taking over Africa before we read about the last of the African Black Rhinos being killed...
Yeah, well, while the wild ones may be gone there's a little doubt that we will be able create clones of these things and put them in a zoo somewhere. Newsflash.....99% of all species that have walked this Earth has gone extinct, IMO this is partly due to the dominant species of the era setting the ground rules. I say let's keep this human dominance thing going!!!!
Well, if that's the case, then let's kill them all right? We've got the guns, which makes us universally dominant, so clearly we don't need any of them. Once all the animals are gone, we can start hunting each other and then we'll have some real fun!
But seriously, think things through before you post, mmmmkay?
Just like other archaic and outdated belief systems around the world (e.g. religion) followed by arrogant people who refuse to live in the reality of today, those who ignorantly believe in medicinal cures from rhino horns (of all things) never realize the harm and damage they've actually caused from their own irrelevent and outdate beliefs (e.g. the wild extinction of an animal species). Sigh...brains so big, yet still so dumb.
We American's should speak. In order to save a few cows that are open range grazing on government property and the influx of mass housing projects that encroach on our diminishing lands we allow precious wolves and bears to be destroyed thus upsetting the ecosystem right here in America and thus ensuring future generations the only access to animals is stuffed and mounted in museums.