Javan rhinoceros in water. This Critically Endangered species is now extinct in Vietnam.

Driven to extinction

It is thought that the last Javan rhino in Vietnam was a victim of poaching, as it was found with a bullet in its leg and its horn removed. The upsetting findings are presented in a new WWF report, ‘Extinction of Javan Rhino from Vietnam’.

A survey team from Cat Tien National Park and WWF collected 22 samples of rhinoceros dung between 2009 and 2010, and genetic analysis confirmed that all of the samples belonged to a single individual which was subsequently found dead in April last year.

“The last Javan rhino in Vietnam has gone,” said Tran Thi Minh Hien, WWF-Vietnam Country Director. “It is painful that despite significant investment in the Vietnamese rhino population conservation efforts failed to save this unique animal. Vietnam has lost part of its natural heritage.”

Pair of Indonesian Javan rhinos. Fewer than 50 individuals now remain.

Work in Indonesia ‘critical’

The Javan rhinoceros has had a tumultuous history on mainland Asia and was previously believed to be extinct there until 1988, when an individual was discovered by hunters in the Cat Tien area. This led to the discovery of a small population, numbering just 8 individuals, in the Cat Tien National Park.

A number of conservation organisations were involved in efforts to conserve the remaining Javan rhino population in the national park; however, only one sighting of a Javan rhino had been recorded in Vietnam in recent years.

The new WWF report highlights that ineffective protection by the park was ultimately the cause of the extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam.

“Reintroduction of the rhinoceros to Vietnam is not economically or practically feasible. It is gone from Vietnam forever,” said Christy Williams, WWF’s Asian elephant and rhino programme co-ordinator.

The extinction of the Javan rhino from its last stronghold in mainland Asia means that worldwide population of this Critically Endangered (CR) species has now declined to less than 50 remaining individuals, all of which are confined to the Indonesian island of Java.

According to Susie Ellis of the International Rhino Foundation, the extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam makes their work in Indonesia even more critical.

“We must ensure that what happened to the Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam is not repeated in Indonesia a few years down the line”, says Ellis.

The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is just one of a number of other species in Vietnam facing extinction.

Worldwide plight

The plight of rhinos is not limited to Asia, and earlier this year several reports indicated that rhino populations in Africa were also facing their worst poaching crisis for decades.

The rhino is globally threatened by the illegal trade in rhino horn, which is being driven by demand from the Asian medicinal markets.

In Vietnam, illegal hunting to supply the wildlife trade has also caused huge population declines in many other species, in many cases reducing them to small, isolated and highly vulnerable populations. Species such as the Indochinese tiger, the Asian elephant, the saola, the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey and the Siamese crocodile are all on the verge of extinction, and may soon experience a similar fate to the Javan rhino if conservation efforts fail.

“The tragedy of the Vietnamese Javan rhinoceros is a sad symbol of this extinction crisis,” said Nick Cox, Manager of WWF’s Species Programme in the Greater Mekong, Vietnam. “The single most important action to conserve Vietnam’s endangered species is protecting their natural habitat and deterring poaching and illegal wildlife trade”.

Read the WWF press release about the extinction of the Javan rhino from Vietnam.

Read the full story on the BBC news and Guardian websites.

Find out more about the International Rhino Foundation.

View images and videos of the Javan rhinoceros on ARKive.

Helen Roddis, ARKive Species Text Author

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The threatened eastern gorilla is in grave danger as a result of a recent surge in the trafficking of baby gorillas.

Juvenile mountain gorilla

Wildlife officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are reporting a marked increase in the trafficking of Critically Endangered baby mountain gorillas, a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, and warn that the situation is rapidly getting out of control. With poachers demanding up to $40,000 (£25,350) per animal, the authorities are struggling to combat the escalation in illegal trade.

On the edge

The mountain gorilla is an extremely charismatic species, and certainly an impressive one, with mature males growing up to 1.7 metres in height and attaining weights of more than 150 kilograms.

The future of this magnificent species is, however, currently uncertain. As a result of human activities including armed conflict, targeted hunting and accidental trapping in snares intended for other animals, the mountain gorilla has been creeping ever closer towards extinction for decades, with a total population of fewer than 800 individuals left in the world. This recent surge in trafficking, if left unchallenged, could tip the balance.

Female mountain gorilla

The ape escape

Earlier this month, a team of rangers from Virunga National Park went undercover in the town of Kirumba, near the park’s western border, and posed as potential buyers. They were able to make contact with poachers who were hiding an 18-month-old eastern lowland gorilla, another subspecies of the eastern gorilla, in a small backpack. A deal was agreed upon, and once the rangers had the young gorilla in their possession, the poachers were immediately arrested.

Further incidents have been recorded this year in the DRC and in Rwanda, involving both eastern lowland and mountain gorillas, making this the fourth such rescue since April.

Emmanuel de Merode, director of Virunga National Park, voiced his concerns about the growing market for baby gorillas which is currently feeding the trafficking activities: “We are powerless to control the international trade in baby gorillas, but our rangers are doing everything they can to stamp it out on the ground. Four baby gorillas seized in less than a year is unusually high … [but] it’s only the tip of the iceberg, as we only manage to catch a small proportion of the offenders because the wildlife service is under-resourced in Congo.”

Guard showing all the animal traps collected within two months in Virunga National Park, habitat of the mountain gorilla

The latest victim

The newest baby gorilla orphaned in the name of animal trafficking is Shamavu, named after the ranger who rescued him. It is likely that the young gorilla’s family were killed in order to pry him away, but despite this, Shamavu is one of the lucky ones. Not only was he rescued, he was also in relatively good physical condition, something which cannot be said of a lot of the baby gorillas rescued from poachers.

“Many of these infants are injured from ropes around their hands, feet or waist, and some are quite ill, which is not surprising as they are generally in close contact with their human captors, extremely stressed, and with very poor nutrition,” said Dr Jan Ramer, a vet with Mountain Gorilla Veterinarian Project (MGVP), a partner of Virunga National Park.

Silverback mountain gorilla resting with group

The next step

These rescues offer a glimmer of hope for the future of the mountain gorilla, but sadly the news is not all good. Officials report that they lack the resources and jurisdiction to investigate the trafficking further, and as a result do not know where the gorillas are headed or who is involved.

“What we do know is that just the rumour that someone is looking to buy a baby ape can be enough for penniless hunters to think: ‘I could get one of those and sell it for $$$$!’,” said Ian Redmond, chairman of the Ape Alliance.

Emmanuel de Merode is calling for stronger enforcement of legislation, particularly in the market countries where the demand for baby gorillas is high, and asks for increased surveillance in towns and along borders. He adds that local communities may be key players in halting the trafficking which is causing such devastating losses to an already-fragile species.

Read more on this story at The Guardian – Trafficking of baby gorillas poses new threat to endangered species.

View photos and videos of the eastern gorilla on ARKive.

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Species Text Author

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The UK has secured an international agreement to clamp down on the illegal trade in rhino horn, which is now in such high demand that it is being sold for more than diamonds, gold and cocaine.

Southern white rhinoceros

“Conservation crisis”

With myths about its medicinal properties fuelling high demand in Asia, rhino horn is now worth over £50,000, or $82,400, a kilo. As a result, there has been a significant increase in the number of rhinos killed for their horns in countries such as South Africa, in what conservationists have called a “poaching crisis”.

The new agreement, reached at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Geneva, will involve countries and conservation groups sharing policing techniques and working on awareness campaigns. The UK will also lead global talks to fight the myths about the medicinal properties of rhino horn.

Confiscated black rhinoceros horns

The UK Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, described the illegal trade in rhino horns as “cruel and archaic”.

“Criminals trading in rhino horn have lined their pockets while bringing this magnificent animal to the brink of extinction, but their days are now numbered,” she said.

“We will be leading global action to clamp down on this cruel and archaic trade, and to dispel the myths peddled to vulnerable people that drive demand for rhino products.”

Mutilated Indian rhinoceros with its horn removed

Tighter export rules

Last year, after detecting a rise in the number of rhino horn products being sold through auction houses in Britain, the UK’s Animal Health agency warned that it would be refusing almost all applications to export rhino horn items.

The tighter rules come amid fears that the legal export of “worked items”, created and acquired before 1947, is being used to send rhino horn to Asia to be powdered down and used in the medicine trade. This could further increase the demand for illegally poached horns.

Under the new rules, export licences for rhino horn products will only be granted under special circumstances.

Black rhinoceros feeding

As part of the clamp down on the illegal trade in rhino horns, the UK will also be supporting a workshop in South Africa in September, to help develop better co-operation between countries where rhinos are poached and the countries where the horns are sold.

Read the BBC News story – UK to lead international rhino horn clampdown.

View photos and videos of rhinoceros species on ARKive.

Liz Shaw, ARKive Species Text Author

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Populations of tigers, elephants, rhinos and many other species are being decimated by immense organised crime syndicates and the illegal wildlife trade, according to a recent paper by WCS conservationist Elisabeth Bennett.

Sumatran tigress

Illegal trade in wildlife parts is becoming increasingly sophisticated, backed by highly efficient organised crime rings. This, coupled with dated enforcement methods, is causing populations of some of the world’s most charismatic species to plummet on an unprecedented scale.

The paper, published last month in Oryx, suggests that much of the trade is driven by wealthy East Asian markets that have a ‘seemingly insatiable appetite’ for wildlife parts.

Demand driven by East Asian markets

High-value body parts and products, such as rhino horn and bear bile, are just two of the much sought after items often destined for East Asian markets. Each year, international organisations such as TRAFFIC and CITES report on hundreds of cases of illegal trade in wildlife from around the world.

According to Bennett, sophisticated smuggling operations carried out by organised crime syndicates have allowed the gangs to devastate wildlife populations more than ever before.

Skins of poached Indian rhinoceros, Nepal

Current enforcement systems were not established to tackle wildlife crime seen on today’s scale, and weak governance and inadequate resources facilitate the flourishing trade. The paper highlights some of the elaborate methods used by the crime rings, including hidden compartments in shipping containers, rapidly changing smuggling routes to avoid detection, and the use of e-commerce (buying and selling online), making it difficult to detect locations.

“Unless we start taking wildlife crime seriously and allocating the commitment of resources appropriate to tackling sophisticated, well-funded, globally-linked criminal operations, populations of some of the most beloved but economically prized, charismatic species will continue to wink out across their range, and, appallingly, altogether” says Bennett.

Urgent need for law enforcement

In her paper, Bennett highlights that enforcement of wildlife laws is an immediate short-term solution to stave off local extinction of wildlife.

Enforcement includes everything from increasing the numbers of staff at all points of the trade chain, to ensuring that staff are highly trained and well-equipped. New technology may also help with enforcing wildlife laws, such as smart-phone apps with species identification programs.

Guard showing all the animal traps collected within two months in Virunga National Park, habitat of the mountain gorilla

“Enforcement is critical,” says Bennett, “Old-fashioned in concept but needing increasingly advanced methods to challenge the ever-more sophisticated methods of smuggling. When enforcement is thorough, and with sufficient resources and personnel, it works.”

Success in tackling the devastating illegal trade in wildlife, says Bennett in her paper, will necessitate commitment from governments and non-governmental organizations and the support of civil society.

Read the WCS Press Release.

Read the paper in Oryx.

Helen Roddis, ARKive Species Text Author

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