The Sumatran Rhinos Are Officially Extinct

The good news is that there is still time to take the necessary steps to stop this from happening. But on the other end of the spectrum, things are not looking good for another endangered friend from the wild.

According to The Star, the Sumatran rhinoceros can no longer be found in Sabah.

This is devastating news because it confirmed that the creatures are now extinct in the wild, based on studies carried out at the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve and Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu.

The state's Tourism, Culture and Environ­ment Ministry had reportedly conducted said study in partnership with the Wildlife Department and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the Borneo Rhino Alliance and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia.

The Sumatran rhino population was taken into account in those areas, as well as the aforementioned forest reserves, and in the Ulu Malua Forest Reserve as well, where the animals were previously sighted.

Some of the methods used to detect the rhinos include forest exploration and setting up camera traps, but these efforts were to no avail.

There were no footprints found nor was there any photographs captured even though the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve and Tabin Wildlife Reserve were suitable habitat for the endangered species.

"This means that these areas no longer have a population of the Sumatran rhinoceros," state Tourism, Culture and Environ­ment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said.