SAVING BORNEAN RHINO BECOMING VITAL; SABAH IN CRITICAL PHASE OF CONSERVATION EFFORTS

KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), March 17 (Bernama) -- The appearance of "Tam" - the male Bornean Rhinoceros rescued in the east coast of Sabah in August last year - may just signal the 'last desperate call from this dying species', according to a non-governmental organization (NGO) Tuesday.

In fact, the 'window of opportunity' is closing as the Bornean Rhino - a
subspecies of the elusive Sumatran Rhino - numbers are estimated to be only
around 30 or so in pockets of eastern and central Sabah, said Dr Junaidi Payne,
a member of the board of directors of the Borneo Rhino Alliance (Bora),
formerly known as SOS Rhino Borneo.

"East Malaysia Sabah-state is lucky to have these rhinos, but it comes with
huge responsibility. Private sector partnership is important, as government and
NGOs could not do it alone," he said during the Rhino Rescue Lunch fund raising
event, here.

The Bornean Rhino is not found anywhere else in the world except in
Sabah, where the main population area is Lahad Datu's Tabin wildlife reserve
which houses about 15 rhinos, around the Danum Valley conservation area or they
are scattered individually.

Last August, the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) made a major stride in
conservation work for these critically-endangered species when they rescued Tam
when he was found wandering on a oil palm plantation.

The animal has a strong sense of smell and tends to stay away from humans.
In fact, knowledge in recent years of the rhinos in Sabah's wilderness is only
through pictures or videos taken by cameras set up for monitoring them.

Payne who is also senior technical advisor to WWF-Malaysia in Sabah, said
one of the reasons why this species was becoming close to extinction was because
they are 'slow breeders', where they take up 15 to 16 months of pregnancy and
only have an offspring every three to five years.

He added that previously in the 90's, there were attempts for breeding them
in captivity when a number of rhinos were put together in Sepilok (Sandakan),
but these efforts failed when no offspring were achieved.

The state government is already working on raising funds for the proposed
Borneo Rhino sanctuary - a semi-captive rhino breeding programme based in Tabin.

"Once it is ready in future, Tam will be released into this sanctuary, along
with other isolated rhinos (from elsewhere in Sabah) to boost prospects for
breeding and reduce threats of poaching," he added.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun at Tuesday's
function said Sabah is in the midst of a very critical phase of conservation
efforts.

He said while the state's continuous development like better roads links
are
good for the people it is not so for conservation of endangered animals.

He said more poachers may use the newly-built roads to hunt and reports of
illegal poaching have been increasing.

"Tourism is the biggest driver of growth in Sabah, as people come here to
see things or animals they could not see anywhere else in the world.


"While other areas have experienced drops (in tourism), Sabah is still going
strong in tourism because we are aware on the importance of conservation. So you
will in a way support the growth of the economy in Sabah by donating to
conservation efforts," he said in reference to the private sector during the
event.

During the fund raising lunch, more than RM520,000 (US$1=RM3.66) worth of
pledges were received from various individuals and the private sector,
surpassing the targeted figure of RM500,000.

The director of non-profit organisation Hutan, Dr Isabelle Lackman-Ancrenaz,
in her presentation stated that BORA's yearly operational expenses amounted to
RM500,000 and this included staff salaries, field supplies and equipment, and
upgrading of staff quarters, among others.

--BERNAMA