Dicerorhinus sumatrensis lasiotis (Northern Sumatran Rhino)

[sebbe67]

Villagers on India's border with Myanmar
have reported sighting the rare two-horned Sumatran rhinoceros, a
species once believed extinct in the Indian subcontinent.
Recent sightings in the far eastern Indian states of Manipur and
Nagaland suggest the hairy Sumatran rhinoceros are surviving on the
subcontinent, said Anwarudding Choudhury, chief executive of the
Rhino Foundation.
``Going by reports received from tribal villagers in Manipur and
Nagaland, there could be at least 10 to 15 Sumatran rhinos in
India,'' Choudhury said.
The Sumatran rhinos once roamed the wet savanna grasslands from
the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in Bhutan and northeastern
India to Indonesia. But with poachers killing the animal for its
horn, believed to have certain aphrodisiac properties, the species
reportedly became extinct in the early 1920s.
Choudhury said reports indicated at least two Sumatran rhinos were
killed.

[sebbe67]

new reports from Myanmar suggest that this rhino also are left in some remote parts in the north, the same area were the pink-headed duck also may lives, northern Myanmar are now considered the second most important for wildlife after Vietnam. Because of the new records about several species thought to had been lost for a very long time.

[NoamC]

Very interesting!
I hope the sightings could be confirmed and be followed by conservatiob measures.

[sebbe67]

planet-mammiferes.org/sommaire.php?_____=ZW4=%20onMouseOver=

here is a picture of this subspecies

[Peter]

Indeed very good news. Now hoping that if they still exist, the number will grow. The new report you've posted was from 1999. In 5-6 years a lot can happen with such a small population!

First time I saw an image of this subspecies!

[Peter]

Here the complete article:

AP-Rare Rino Spotted in India

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: AP-Rare Rino Spotted in India
Date: Tue, 09 Mar 1999 20:58:00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday March 8 1:10 PM ET

Rare Rino Spotted in India

GAUHATI, India (AP) - Villagers on India's border with Myanmar have reported sighting the rare two-horned Sumatran rhinoceros, a species once believed extinct in the Indian subcontinent.

Recent sightings in the far eastern Indian states of Manipur and Nagaland suggest the hairy Sumatran rhinoceros are surviving on the subcontinent, said Anwarudding Choudhury, chief executive of the Rhino Foundation.

There are about 230 to 400 Sumatran rhinos in the world. More than 50 percent are found in Indonesia.

The Sumatran rhino is smaller and hairier than the one-horned Indian rhino, with an average height of four feet.

``Going by reports received from tribal villagers in Manipur and Nagaland,there could be at least 10 to 15 Sumatran rhinos in India,'' Choudhury said.

The Sumatran rhinos once roamed the wet savanna grasslands from the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in Bhutan and northeastern India to Indonesia. But with poachers killing the animal for its horn, believed to have certain aphrodisiac properties, the species reportedly became extinct in the early 1920s.

Choudhury said reports indicated at least two Sumatran rhinos were killed.

Among rhino species, the Javan rhinos are the most endangered, with an estimated population of only about 60.

[Meaghan]

This is excellent news indeed! I really hope their numbers increase.

[sebbe67]

In 2003 new reports of the presene of this rhino come in India of a adult male that had been shot near the Myanmar border, the Indian goverment are now going to have a major survey to find out if the rhino still are left and how big the population can be, the Myanmar goverment are planing to do the same thing. And if there are a healty population ledt major conservation actions are going o be taken to save this rhino from extinction.

[sebbe67]

the last confirmed sighting made in Myanmar was in 1984. The last Sumatran rhinoceros in this ecoregion was caught in 1984 in Arakan Yoma and its horn sold to a traditional Chinese medicine shop in Yangon.

[Peter]

I'm looking for more information on the (possibly) extinct subspecies of the Sumatran Rhino. Dicerorhinus sumatrensis ssp. lasiotis. Does anyone have more than I do?

This is what I have found:
A specimen from Chittagong acquired in 1872 by the Zoological Society of London was named R. lasiotis, as it differed from the typical form by, its larger size, paler and browner colour, smoother skin, longer, finer and redder hair, and the long fringe of hair on the ears. It is now recognized as a local race.
Source: encyclopedia.jrank.org/RAY_RHO/RHINOCEROS.html.

And:
Red List Category & Criteria: EX (extinct)

Justification:
D. sumatrensis lasiotis is known to be extinct in Bangladesh and India. The status of the Sumatran Rhinoceros in Myanmar is poorly known; if it does still exist, this may be the last refuge for this subspecies.

Range and Population
The former range of this subspecies covered areas of Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar. The animal is known to be extinct from both Bangladesh and India, however, its status in Myanmar is poorly known.

Habitat and Ecology
This animal mainly inhabits rainforest in hilly and mountainous areas.

Threats
In part, the decline of the Asian Rhinos is related to habitat destruction and fragmentation. However, over-exploitation, both for sport and for the horn trade have also contributed to population declines.

Conservation Measures
Included on CITES Appendix I since 1975.

Source: www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php?species=6554.

[Ben]

Cant help u with the sumatran rhino subspecies, but I recommened checking out the Cinncinati Zoo website that has a webcam of the second sumatran captive born baby in the world ever and it's mother. It is a live webcam feed of the world's most rare mammals, and if u wait in the short que u can control the webcam yourself!

[NoamC]

I recommend that webcam as well!

I couldn't find the sub-species you asked about Peter, I could only find 2 Sumatran sub-species - the Western and the Eastern. Although I have to say, I'm not sure I agree with splitting to sub-species like that, I don't think it's justified.. there are only around 50 Sumatran rhinos left, how could you really tell the difference between 3 species (2 sub-s) in a population of just 50?

[sebbe67]

its not only 50 left of the Sumatran rhino. It is about 300 left.
It is the eastern subspecies which lives in Sabah on Borneo which has only 50 individuals left in the world

[NoamC]

Tuesday, December 21, 2004, 1:38am (AEDT)
ABC NEWSONLINE, Australia

The world's most endangered species of rhinoceros, Indonesia's Sumatran rhinoceros, may be on the brink of extinction.

Indonesia's Forestry Ministry says there may be fewer than 50 of the animals remaining in the wild.

Poaching is the main threat to the rhinos.

Indonesia's Forestry Ministry says the animals are slaughtered for their horns, which are sold as ingredients for Chinese medicine.

Spokesman for World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Indonesian office Nasir Fouad has called on people to refrain from hunting the rare animal.

"The only use for the rhinos in Sumatra is the horn, which is for the Chinese medicine," he said.

"The amount of money that the poacher gets on the field is less than $1,000.

"It can go up to tens of thousand of dollars if you go to the end user in the market, for the same weight of one rhino horn."

-ABC/AFP

I read somewhere else that it was indeed thought to be 300, but recent counts signals it's no more than 50 of this species left. I didn't come across any word on a *sub-species of* the sumatran rhino

[djg23]

Ram Bramha Sanyal's 'A Handbook of the Management ofAnimals in Captivity in Lower Bengal' (1892) documents the captive breeding of a hybrid Sumatran rhino (lasiotus x sumatrensis) at Calcutta Zoological Gardens on 30th Jan 1889, the lasiotis specimen was caught in Burma arriving at the zoo in 1882. According to the book lasiotis differs in having shorter ears placed further apart than sumatrensis and are thickly fringed with hair, the skull is broader, has a shorter tail (which is well tufted), the skin of lasiotis is said to be smoother on the nape whilst the first body fold commences from behind the ear and does not form a 'pendulous knot' on the underside as in sumatrensis.

London Zoo has kept both lasiotis and sumatrensis (a long time ago mind you), both lasiotis specimens achieved longevities of 24 and 33 years respectively. The last specimen died 1910.

In L.C Rookmaaker's book 'The Rhinoceros in Captivity' (1998) there are several photos of Sumatran rhinos, most interestingly is a specimen at Bogor, Taman Safari, Indonesia in 1995 which has long drooping hairy ears, the author suggests that this is a typical example of lasiotis, however as with most of the rhinos caught in recent years it came from Torgamba, Sumatra.

Regarding the presence of Sumatran rhinos in Myanmar apparenty tracks were found in 1998, but a search in 2001 revealed nothing.

[another specialist]

May be worth trying to obtain this book this has all the old photos of london zoo and many of its animals aswell like the Bubal Hartebeest pic you have on this site cames from there... may have a photo and info of this subspecies as they did house it in the past....

London Zoo from Old Photographs 1852-1914
John C. Edwards
Paperback 240 pages (May 1996)
Publisher: J.Edwards
ISBN: 0952709902

Still available from good book suppliers

[Peter]

Hmmm, now I know the origin of that photo! I will see if I can find the book.

[another specialist]

the book has lots of pics of animals kept there in the past thoughout its history....

[djg23]

Just to let you know the photo of the bubal hartebeest on the web site is not from John Edwards book, the one in the book is of much more clarity.

[another specialist]

yes djg23 is right - but the book will give you lots of pics of species housed there in the past....