A long time ago, rhinoceroses were among the rulers of the Earth. In the midst of the rhinoceros family was the Sumatran rhino. An average Sumatran rhino weighed 1,000 kilograms, approximately 2,200 pounds, at full maturity. The large animal was covered in a shaggy coat of short, crisp hair. These Sumatran rhinos were generally found in areas of hilly rainforests along with still water ponds. They are capable of swimming in bodies of water also. What is the big deal with the Sumatran rhino? .
The deal with the Sumatran rhino is that it is one of the rarest species in the world and is in critical danger of becoming extinct. One major fuss is that the Sumatran rhino is technically a living fossil. It displays traits of and links to the Oligocene Epoch which existed around thirty million years ago. In 1994, there were less than four hundred of the Sumatran rhinos left. By the year 2001, the numbers shrank to three hundred. Seventeen are in captivity to try and produce offspring to re-establish the Sumatran population. Scientists and ecologists fear that the Sumatran rhino may only survive a few more decades.
Clearly then, what's the point of trying to keep this species alive? Wilson feels that with the right conditions of space and time to grow and reproduce, the rhinos will be fine. For this particular animal, the odds of making the project of restoring the population a successful one looks slim. Evidently the odds are against the Sumatran rhinos. The chances of reproducing are low, the cost of holding the animals in captivity are high, and it may be time for the rhino's cycle of life to end.
For starters, out of three hundred or less Sumatran rhinos in the world, only seventeen are in captivity. The chances to restore an entire or even a portion of the population with just seventeen rhinos are slim. Scientists and specialists have tried for many years to mate these captive animals and the results are one.
