Pathway To Successful Breeding In The Sumatran Rhino At The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, Way Kambas National Park, Lampung (1998 - 2002)

Abstract

The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) was establish in 1998 in Way Kambas National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia, for semi-in-situ reproduction of Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), a critically endangered species, to supplement the ex-situ reproduction program that has so far only produced a single birth in Cincinnati Zoo in 2001. Three rhinos were moved to the SRS; two females - Bina from Taman Safari Indonesia, Bogor and Dusun from Ragunan Zoo, Jakarta - and one male - Torgamba from Port Lympne Zoo in the UK. Bina and Torgamba were evaluated to have an excellent potential for reproduction, while Dusun was old and unreproductive. The rhinos in the SRS are kept under condition that are as natural as is possible, with minimal manipulation by humans, in large areas (20-50 Ha) of natural rhino habitat. The rhinos are allowed to follow a natural pattern of activity.