Intl Rhino Foundation

Rhino Resource Center

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:23:49 GMT

The Rhino Resource Center is the world’s best source of information about rhino conservation, research, veterinary medicine, and husbandry worldwide. The Rhino Resource Center collects all known publications and maintains archives on all published work on rhinoceros. Search the Rhino Resource Center for everything you ever wanted to know about rhinos - information, photos, and links to other rhino websites!

Rhino Resource Center Newsletters:

IRF News Room

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:23:02 GMT

IRFs newsroom provides professional media representatives from around the world with comprehensive information about IRF and rhino conservation. If you are not a member of the media, please click here to contact us for general inquiries, or feel free to search our press releases. PRESS RELEASES IRFs press releases provide quick access to key information on IRF activities about projects around the world. RSS FEEDS AND WEB 2.0 Tell us what you want -- sign up to receive our RSS Feeds for Press Releases, our e-newsletter, blog posts and social media connections. IRF MEDIA CONTACTS AND EXPERTS IRF experts are available for comment on a wide array of rhino conservation topics both as a general resource and for media interviews. Please contact Susie Ellis for more information. MEDIA KIT & STORY IDEAS A comprehensive media kit can be download here. It includes fact sheets, history of our organization and media contacts. IRF IMAGE GALLERY ...

2008 Wildlife Conservation Expo

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:21:57 GMT

For wildlife lovers in the San Francisco Bay area....

Wildlife Conservation Network's 2008 Wildlife Conservation Expo

The International Rhino Foundation will be participating in the Wildlife Conservation Network's 2008 Wildlife Conservation Expo on October 4, 2008, at the Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco. At the expo, you can meet conservation heroes from around the world and hear about the challenges and successes of working on the frontlines of conservation. IRF and numerous other local and international conservation organizations will host exhibits where you can learn more about wildlife conservation in the field, and purchase wildlife art and crafts from around the world. (Several IRF supporters will be selling beautiful Shona sculptures and handicrafts from Zimbabwe to raise funds for our Lowveld Rhino Conservation program there.)

Visit http://www.wildnet.org/expo2008_expo.htm to learn more.

Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, Indonesia

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:19:41 GMT

The Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) is the most threatened of the five living rhino species. Only about 250 individuals survive in small, highly fragmented populations in Indonesia and Malaysia, and the population is suffering rapid declines due to poaching and habitat loss. Because of the challenges and uncertainties of conserving this Critically Endangered species in range countries with rapidly changing and often volatile political climates, in 1984 the World Conservation Union’s Asian Rhino Specialist Group recommended developing a captive breeding program as part of a larger population management strategy for the Sumatran rhino. Torgamba and Bina, two of the rhinos at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas, breeding. Rhino experts agreed that successful reproduction would require sufficiently natural conditions and large enclosures. In the early 1990s, managed breeding centers (known as sanctuaries) were developed in native...

India and Nepal

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:18:29 GMT

Greater one-horned, or Indian, rhinos were once found from Eastern Pakistan, through India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, and into Myanmar. However, by the start of the 20th century, the population had decreased to about 200 individuals as the result of poaching, habitat destruction, and human encroachment. With strict protection by Indian and Nepalese wildlife authorities, the population of greater one-horned rhinos has rebounded in the two countries, and there are now more than 2,500 rhinos in 13 groups distributed between northern India and Nepal. Unfortunately, however, this population is not distributed evenly. More that 85% of the Indian rhino population inhabits one protected area, Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India, exposing the population to the risk that a single catastrophe such as a flood or disease outbreak could lead to serious population decline again. Additionally, a smaller population of rhinos (approximately 100) living in Pabitora National Park have exceeded...

Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:17:48 GMT

The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is one of the rarest species of mammals and one of the most endangered rhinoceros species, with fewer than 60 animals believed to exist in two known populations. Between 40 and 60 individuals inhabit Ujung Kulon National Park in West Java, Indonesia, and between three and five individuals are part of a likely non-viable population in the Cat Loc section of Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. Because Javan Rhinos inhabit dense tropical forests, they are not easy targets for poachers with guns. But they are vulnerable to poachers who use snares and traps to capture and kill the rhino so its horn can then be removed. The area now known as Ujung Kulon National Park is the only remaining lowland forest site in Java. It received modest protection status in 1910 when it was declared a hunting reserve. In 1921, its status was upgraded into a nature reserve, and in 1980, it was declared as one of the first five national parks in Indonesia. In 1992,...

Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Indonesia

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:17:15 GMT

Bukit Barisan Selatan (BBS) National Park is the third largest protected area (3,568 km2) in Sumatra. The park is the main watershed for southwestern Sumatra, providing water and ecological services to local communities. Its elongated shape makes it difficult to protect, because the ratio of boundary-to-interior is so high. The eastern boundary tends to follow the watershed, while the western boundary is located close to the foot of the mountains, and, in some areas, follows the coastline. A series of protected forest areas were created to form a buffer zone on the eastern side of the Park, but all of these have swallowed up by human encroachment. Bukit Barisan Selatan is one of the highest priority areas for Sumatran megafauna, and in particular, for the Sumatran rhino, the Sumatran tiger, and the Sumatran elephant. It is home to the second largest population of Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinos sumatrensis sumatrensis), estimated between 60 and 85 animals. Sumatran rhinos have declined...

IRF Programs in Asia

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:16:50 GMT

IRF has from its inception concentrated its Asian Programs on the Sumatran Rhino, probably the most endangered of all rhino species. More recently, IRF has extended its programs to the Javan Rhino. IRF has also selectively assists conservation efforts for Indian Rhino and is working with other organizations on a major program that could provide long-term financial support to protect this species in the wild. IRF programs reflect the dual and diversified strategy of protection in the wild and propagation in captivity or semi-captivity. About 250 Sumatran rhinos remain on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, where the population has declined at a rate of 50% over the past 10 years, largely from deforestation and habitat fragmentation. IRF focuses its work in heavily encroached areas near Way Kambas and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Parks. Only four poaching events have been recorded in the past 3 years because of the remarkable work and dedication of the Rhino Protection Units providing...

Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:16:22 GMT

Facing intense pressure from a variety of threats, the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinos sumatrensis sumatrensis) is probably the most endangered species of rhinoceros. It is estimated that no more than 275 individuals survive, almost entirely in two range states, Indonesia and Malaysia. From 1989 to 1998, the population declined by at least 60%, and while Javan rhinos number even fewer, the combination of the extent and rate of population reduction makes the Sumatran rhino the most critically endangered of the five rhino species. The cause of the decline is almost entirely poaching for the horn through the use of traps and snares placed in the forest. In Indonesia, Sumatran rhinos survive in only three known locations (Gunung Leuser, Bukit Barisan Selatan, and Way Kambas National Park) and have been extirpated from one national park (Kerinci Seblat) within the past decade. Way Kambas is a large national park covering 130,000 hectares in southern Sumatra. The park consists of swamp...

Lowveldt Zimbabwe - Moving rhinos away from poaching pressures

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:15:47 GMT

Carla in pen soon after incident Lisa-Marie bush immobilization Carla and Lisa-Marie in Mazunga boma Black rhinos that are managed within the IRF-supported Lowveld Rhino Project in Zimbabwe are still showing a net gain in numbers. The Lowveld population is now about 400, after an 8% growth rate over the past year, and there are also 140 white rhinos. However, poaching has been flaring up as the economic and political situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated. Since 2000, the Lowveld project has undertaken 111 rhino translocations to remove rhinos from areas that are particularly prone to poaching. The Chiredzi River Conservancy has been particularly hard-hit by poaching. In late 2007, nine black rhinos had to be moved from this area to the safer Bubye River Conservancy, which is also in the Lowveld region, about 100 miles to the west. ...

Tanzania

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:14:24 GMT

Tanzania’s spectacular 484,800 km² Selous Game Reserve (SGR) is a World Heritage Site (inscribed in 1982) and the second largest wildlife reserve in the world. It conserves an ecosystem of high biodiversity including one of the world’s largest populations of elephants, buffalo, hippo, crocodile and wild dog. The black rhino population of this reserve once numbered ~3,000 individuals but was reduced to near extinction by a multi-country poaching episode in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Black rhinos were thought to be extinct in the Selous – then in 1990, rhino tracks were detected. Following this discovery, the first priority was to find out how many black rhinos were left, their status, and to monitor them and develop protection. The Selous Rhino Trust, which now undertakes this work, has been very successful so far and has established that viable populations of black rhinos do indeed exist in the Selous. The aims of the Selous Rhino Project, run by the Selous Rhino Trust and...

Zimbabwe

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:13:30 GMT

Rhinos are among the most threatened mammals on the planet – sadly, a number of populations have all but disappeared. Black rhino (Diceros bicornis) populations were particularly hard-hit over the past few decades, with poaching in the 1980s taking a terrible toll. Starting with East Africa, the rhino crisis intensified to the point where Zambia’s rhinos (perhaps 3,000) were completely wiped out by poachers. At around the same time, the species also was extirpated in Botswana. Another 1,600 black rhinos were killed in Zimbabwe before conservation actions stabilized and eventually reversed the situation. ZIMBABWE By the late 1980s and early 1990s, cross-border poaching had reduced Zimbabwe’s once-large black rhino numbers from about 2,000 to 500 individuals, with populations declining to a low of 370 individuals in 1993. At that point, a national rhino conservation strategy led to the development of intensive protection zones within national parks. A rhino custodianship scheme also...

Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis)

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:11:43 GMT

Common Names Black rhinoceros. Black rhinos are actually not black at all. The species probably derives its name as a distinction from the white rhino (itself a misnomer) and/or from the dark-colored local soil that often covers its skin after wallowing in mud. Prehensile or hook-lipped rhinoceros. The upper lip of the black rhino is adapted for feeding from trees and shrubs and is its best distinguishing characteristic. Scientific Name and Origin Diceros bicornis Dicero from the Greek di, meaning two and ceros, meaning horn and bicornis from the Latin bi, meaning two and cornis, meaning horn. IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered CITES: Appendix I During the last century, the black rhino has suffered the most drastic decline in total numbers of all rhino species. Between 1970 and 1992, the population of this species decreased...

Nicolaas Jan van Strien (April 1, 1946-February 7, 2008)

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:11:08 GMT

View photo gallery. Too soon, the rhino world has lost another great conservation leader. Dr. Nico van Strien, 61, IRF Asian Program Coordinator, died peacefully on February 7th in Doorn, the Netherlands, following a year-long battle with cancer. Nico, as he was known to colleagues, was, without a doubt, the world’s authority on both Sumatran and Javan rhinos, having studied and authored numerous scientific papers on both species. He dedicated more than 30 years of his life to rhinos. Dr. van Strien earned a M.Sc. in 1971 at the Free University of Amsterdam, and a Ph.D. in 1985 in Agricultural Sciences from Wageningen University, Netherlands. His doctoral dissertation work, for which he spent 5 years in and walked 3,800 km through the Gunung Leuser Ecosystem, remains the definitive work on the ecology of Sumatran rhinos. Nico worked in a number of countries during his career, including in Malawi where he worked as a biology lecturer at Chancellors College. He also provided...

About the IRF

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:10:12 GMT

MISSION

The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) is dedicated to the survival of the world’s rhino species through conservation and research.

The IRF:

provides the technical (scientific, educational, administrative) and financial resources necessary to facilitate the conservation of rhinos.
coordinates the resources and communications of a diverse array of rhino conservation partners, to maximize effect, while minimizing duplication.
provides technical and administrative services for captive programs (regionally and globally).
provides the linkage between captive programs, and wild populations.
supports applied research that targets the problems affecting the survivability of rhinos.
promotes the involvement of local communities in the conservation of rhinos.
advances the expertise of range-state professionals through training.
creates enduring (self sustaining) rhino conservation programs through “facilitative” and “catalytic” approaches
gives priority for its resources application of resources to issues related to species-level conservation.
is recognized as a trusted resource for relevant rhino information.

Projects in the Field

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:09:53 GMT

Lowveld Zimbabwe - Black rhinos that are managed within the IRF-supported Lowveld Rhino Project in Zimbabwe are still showing a net gain in numbers. The Lowveld population is now about 400, after an 8% growth rate over the past year, and there are also 140 white rhinos. However, poaching has been flaring up as the economic and political situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated. Since 2000, the Lowveld project has undertaken 111 rhino translocations to remove rhinos from areas that are particularly prone to poaching. More...

White Rhino (Ceratotherum simum)

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:51:11 GMT

Common Names White rhinoceros is taken from the Afrikaans word describing its mouth: weit, meaning wide. Early English settlers in South Africa misinterpreted the weit for white. White rhinos are also sometimes called the square-lipped rhinoceros. Its upper lip lacks the prehensile hook of some of the other rhino species. Scientific Name and Origin Ceratotherium simum Ceratotherium from the Greek cerato, meaning horn and thorium, meaning wild beast and simum from the Greek simus, meaning flat nosed. IUCN Red List: Near Threatened CITES: Appendix I The white rhino, along with the roughly equal-sized Greater one-horned (Indian) rhino, is the largest species of land mammal after the elephant. The white rhino is the least endangered of the living rhino species. Of its two distinct subspecies, the only...

Board of Directors

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:21:24 GMT

The IRF Board consists of 16 individuals from three continents and many major conservation organizations: Rick Barongi The Houston Zoo - Houston, Texas USA - IRF Vice President for Africa Rick Barongi has been working in the zoo and wildlife conservation field for over 35 years. He has a B.S. from Cornell University and M.S. from Rutgers University. He has been the Director of the Houston Zoo since 2000. In the past seven years the Houston zoo has privatized its operation from the City and increased its budget from $12 million to over $22 million per year. Its annual attendance is just over 1.5 million a year which ranks it in the top 10 AZA zoos in the country. Prior to Houston, Rick held the position of Director of Animal Programs for Walt Disney World. He played a key role in the design, construction and opening of Disneys Animal Kingdom, a one billion dollar theme park. He created the first Disney Advisory Board for the Animal Kingdom park and helped to engineer the concept...

IRF Staff & Advisors

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:39:57 GMT

STAFF Susie Ellis, PhD Executive Director Margaret Moore Development Officer Robin Radcliffe, DVM Rhino Conservation Medicine Program Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, PhD Asian Rhino Program Coordinator SPECIAL ADVISORS Dr. Dedi Candra Collection Manager Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary Sumadi Hasmaran Facilities Manager Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary M. Waladi Isnan Program Manager Indonesian RPU Program Drs. Arief Rubianto Field Supervisor Indonesian RPU Program Secionov IRF Indonesia Liaison PRO-BONO STAFF AND ADVISORS Much of the administrative and creative support for IRF is donated pro-bono (i.e., without cost) by the generous institutions and organizations represented on the IRF Board. This allows administrative costs to be kept to minimum and for other donations to directly fund IRF field conservation programs. Michelle Burke White Oak Conservation Center (IT Advisor) Jean Cha Bass Enterprises ...

Africa Programs

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:05:12 GMT

Africa is home to two rhino species – black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) and white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum). During the nineteenth century, southern white rhinos were decimated by poaching and habitat destruction in South Africa. By the turn of the twentieth century, there were fewer than 200 animals left. But, thanks to the dedicated efforts of conservationists, researchers and concerned individuals (especially in South Africa), southern white rhinos were protected and have recovered to about 14,500 individuals. They are now the most abundant rhino species in the world – their population is more than all the other individuals of all the other species of rhinos put together! – and they range throughout South Africa. Because this species has recovered so well and is now the least threatened of all rhino species, the International Rhino Foundation currently concentrates most of its efforts in Africa on protection of black rhinos, which still face a significant threat of extinction. ...