![]() The ultimate aim is that a second viable population is established elsewhere within its historic range, in the event that the UKNP population were wiped out. With the species’ single population vulnerable to so many threats, it is essential that this existing population is protected and able to grow. No rhinos were reported to have been harmed in this incident however, next time they may not be so lucky. In December 2018, Anak Krakatau itself erupted, causing a tsunami with waves reportedly reaching five metres in height. The rhinos primarily occupy the western half of UKNP and many – despite the risk of disturbance from fishermen are concentrated around the coast, putting them at an increased risk of drowning if the Park were to be flooded. ![]() In addition, the Park lies close to Anak Krakatau, a large volcano, whose predecessor’s eruption in 1883 – one of the largest on record – caused tsunamis that inundated this peninsula, killing more than 36,000 people and destroying the rhinos’ habitat. It lies adjacent to the Indonesian Sunda Arc, where converging tectonic plates often generate earthquakes, which, in turn, cause tsunamis. However, perhaps the greatest concern comes from the Park’s vulnerability to natural disasters. ![]() Invasive Arenga palm trees shadow the rhinos’ preferred food plants, whilst livestock diseases such as trypanosomiasis, haemorrhagic septicaemia and, potentially, anthrax have likely been responsible for the deaths of several rhinos during multiple outbreaks since the 1980s. Unfortunately, protection from humans alone is not enough to save the species from extinction. Furthermore, if rhinos were sighted on the beaches, there are concerns that opportunistic attempts may be made to poach a rhino while it is out in the open. Being highly sensitive to human activities, fewer and fewer rhinos were habituating the coast as a result of this disturbance, meaning that these gentle giants were having to travel deeper into the forest in search of other sources of salt. In recent years, more and more fishermen – some constructing platforms – have attempted to fish illegally off the coast of UKNP. Javan rhinos adore water and, historically, they ambled along the beaches looking to supplement their salt intake. Following the species’ extinction in Vietnam by 2010, and with none living in captivity, these individuals are now the last known Javan rhinos, with official government reports stating that there are 76 individuals left in the wild. Whilst the last Javan tigers disappeared by the 1970s – due to excessive hunting and habitat loss – from Java, Javan rhinos were able to cling on in the forests of a peninsula to the west, an area set aside for their protection known as Ujung Kulon National Park (UKNP). ![]() During this period, much of the species’ habitat was converted to rice paddies and other agriculture, giving hunters supplying a burgeoning demand for rhino horn in Traditional Chinese Medicines easier access to what were once vast, remote forests. Little is known about them, with much of the information we have about their ecology and behaviour coming from anecdotal accounts recorded during the 18 th and 19 th Centuries. Once common across much of Southeast Asia, from India in the north, down mainland Southeast Asia through to Indonesia in the south, the Javan rhino is now one of the planet’s most endangered species.
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