International conservation organization the WWF has confirmed that the Javan rhino is now extinct in Vietnam; the organization has released an online film explaining the animal’s road to extinction.
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| A Javan Rhino in Vietnam |
Javan rhinos were thought to be extinct in mainland Asia until 1988, when a small population was discovered in the Cat Tien National Park area of Vietnam. Following this discovery, efforts were made to conserve the population of Javan rhinos in this area, but ultimately these efforts proved futile.
Following analysis of dung samples collected from 2009-2010, the WWF and the International Rhino Foundation confirmed that the Javan rhino is now extinct in Vietnam, the last member of the species having been shot by a poacher in 2010.
This means that less than 50 of the species are now thought to still exist in a national park in Indonesia. Susie Ellis of the International Rhino Foundation stated, "We must ensure that what happened to the Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam is not repeated in Indonesia a few years down the line."
