11/24/2019
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Sumatran Rhinoceros 🦏 (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) “It is with great sadness that the Sabah Wildlife Department announces the death of Iman, the last Sumatran rhinoceros in Malaysia, at 5.35pm on Nov 23, 2019, ” 😭
The Sumatran rhinoceros is also known as the Asian two-horned rhinoceros, due to the presence of two horns unlike its two other asian rhinoceros species. In the past, they could be found in broad regions of Asia such as India, Bhutan, and even China! Today, the Sumatran rhino is a critically endangered species, with an estimated number of less than 100 individuals living in the wild forests of Indonesia 😔. During the day, the Sumatran rhino likes to roll itself in mud baths to cool down and rest ♨️ - also known as wallowing. This behaviour is important as not only does it helps the rhino maintain its body temperature, it also protects its skin from ectoparasites and bites from other insects 🦟! Rhinos that do not wallow enough tend to have inflamed and pus-filled skin, eye problems, and even hair loss that will eventually lead to their death 😱! Malaysia's last male Sumatran rhinoceros, Tam, died earlier in late May this year, leaving their last and only female Sumatran rhinoceros, Iman to hold the fort. But sadly, the mango-loving rhino 🥭 succumbed to her cancer and passed on as well. Cell cultures from both Tam and Iman have been extracted in the hopes of increasing the ever-dwindling Sumatran rhino population using molecular means 🙏.
Kevin oakden
