New hope for most endangered rhinos

The Sumatran rhino is the most endangered species of rhino in the world but new footage has shown that they could be breeding.

The World Wildlife Fund said that the footage was evidence that the rare rhinoceros's, often labeled the 'hairy rhino' due to their hairy body, were breeding on Borneo Island.

Raymond Alfred from the WWF said that a camera set up in a forest near Malaysia's Sabah state captured stills of one female rhinoceros which appeared to be pregnant. The pictures taken in February are the third piece of evidence since 2007 suggesting that species might be breeding in the wild.

Despite the uncertainty about the rhino's condition, Mr Alfred said "based on the shape and size of the body and stomach it would appear that the rhino is pregnant". These pictures are the first of a wild Sumatran rhino thought to be pregnant and is very good news after the initial failure of the breeding-in-captivity programme for these critically endangered animals. The gestation for these animals can be around 15 to 16 months and on average a mother gives birth to one calf every three years.


The Sumatran rhino is the smallest species of rhinoceros and is poached for it's horns which are used in Chinese medicine. Deforestation has also become a huge factor in their decline and Mr Alfred says the area must be protected from logging activity. In the last 15 years their numbers have fallen 50% with an estimated 200 still in the wild. Conservationists have warned that this rare species could face extinction in the next 10 years.