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.

 Post by:
Filed under: Rhinos • Vietnam
soundoff (878 Responses)
  1. mark

    Execute them all.

    October 25, 2011 at 4:50 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Barry G.

    Aezel,
    There is a difference between myth and mythology; one is means of communicating a truth, which occurs repeatedly and without ceasing; the other refers to the genealogies and lore of pagan religions. The Bible, and the God of the Bible do not fit in this category. Although the message may be couched in myth, at times (as Paul Octmyer states), for the benefit of the readers, it is certainly not mythological.

    Do your homework!

    Phip,
    My statement was made in response to the blatant error and mischaracterization previously made.

    October 25, 2011 at 4:50 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Human

    I was ashamed as a human being after reading this story, and I am even more ashamed after reading the message board.

    October 25, 2011 at 4:54 pm | Report abuse |
    • rkt210

      That's OK, the rest of us weren't all that proud of you anyway.

      October 25, 2011 at 5:12 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Joe

    way to go vietnam, yet another reason your country will always be a sh**hole

    October 25, 2011 at 4:57 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Ken

    James, fun? You have a very strange definition of fun that I clearly don't understand. Lowering my IQ points, exposing myself to who knows what chems is not my version of fun. Fun is violent video games, Flying small aircraft, building stuff, even playing a board game, watching a movie, people have lost the urge to do.... stuff. Pot, other drugs and alcohol, are all distractions from doing.... We use to be a nation of doers. Now increasingly we only do stuff to ourselves, meanwhile complaining that we are losing ground.

    October 25, 2011 at 4:58 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Sunflower

    We can lump the poachers that did this in with the bozos that killed all the bengal tigers, lions and wolves in Ohio because they were to lazy to find tranquilizer guns.....

    October 25, 2011 at 5:00 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Carmen

    Sigh they should have captured it and put it in a zoo. At least it would still be alive.

    October 25, 2011 at 5:04 pm | Report abuse |
  8. BadBoxer22

    Well now that really sucks....but one rhino had no chance of continuing the species without a mate. Hope the horns were worth it.

    October 25, 2011 at 5:06 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Brad

    Some people and societies treat animals as if they don't matter. Recently we've seen stories like this rhino story and shark fin soup, both of which have people involved that don't care if they kill every last animal. What is needed are laws that are enforced with extreme penalties such as very heavy fines/jail time, loss of limbs or even death. Only then will people pay attention.

    October 25, 2011 at 5:09 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Sona

    So so sad!! That people would stand beside while these beautiful animals are slaughtered. It's a disgrace to mankind!

    October 25, 2011 at 5:10 pm | Report abuse |
    • joey

      are you talking about chickens, cows, turkeys, or pigs ?

      October 25, 2011 at 5:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • Razor's Edge

      Hey "Joey" – wake up clueless – all those you mentioned in coming up with a non-rebuttal – AREN'T ENDANGERED SPECIES !!!

      October 25, 2011 at 5:30 pm | Report abuse |
  11. yourmom

    Typical 3rd world country. Wasteful, selfish, uneducated...

    October 25, 2011 at 5:15 pm | Report abuse |
    • joey

      oh, come on, cleveland is not that bad

      October 25, 2011 at 5:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • Doug

      Wasteful? Selfish? you mean DESPERATE, in poverty, unable to feed themselves. Ignorance also plays a role. The animal was worth much more alive than dead. If all 3rd world countries fit your description, I dont beleive any rhinos would be left in Java, let alone some of the amazing creatures in rain forests of central america and the amazon. Cmon, stop making comments if they are so absurd.

      October 25, 2011 at 5:33 pm | Report abuse |
    • Dominic Lavallee

      About wasteful, selfish, uneducated... you should see this: http://www.albartlett.org/presentations/arithmetic_population_energy_video1.html

      October 25, 2011 at 10:15 pm | Report abuse |
  12. keith

    WWF will always be wrestling to me. I have to laugh everytime I see it mentioned in regards to something like this, half expecting Hulk Hogan to rush out of the woods and body slam someone

    October 25, 2011 at 5:17 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Barry G.

    I'm sure someone already mentioned this, but isn't poaching to the point of endangering animals a problem, which occurs world-wide?

    October 25, 2011 at 5:17 pm | Report abuse |
  14. Get serious

    Ground rhino horn cures cancer? How much will I have to pay for some of this rhino horn?

    October 25, 2011 at 5:20 pm | Report abuse |
  15. Mike

    All poachers and people who buy from them should be tortured and executed.

    October 25, 2011 at 5:20 pm | Report abuse |
    • Easy E

      Imaigne if we created a meme wherein it is rumored that the weiner of a poacher can cure AIDS.

      I say we turn the delta minuses on themselves, and watch the ensuing melee on pay per view.

      October 25, 2011 at 5:27 pm | Report abuse |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
« Back to main