Disease Wipes Out Rare Rhinos

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Disease Wipes Out Rare Rhinos
By Matt Harrison

• http//www.abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20031117_41
  1.html

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• Disease has wiped out the entire population of
  rare Sumatran rhinoceroses.
• It was one of the few safe havens left, the
  captive breeding program in Malaysia.

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Last one left

• The last of seven Sumatran rhinos left at the
  Sungai Dusun Rhino Conservation Center died Nov.
  17.
• This brought an end to the 16-year-old program
  that is just one of a handful In the world trying
  to save this species from extinction.

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Sumatran Facts

• Smallest of the rhinos
• Among the rarest of large mammals.
• Less than 300 are living in the world.

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Sumatran Facts Cont.

• Threatened by Poachers
• Loosing their habitat, unstable environment.

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What Happened?

• Unhygienic conditions
• Vulnerable to disease living in close proximity
  to each other
• They became inactive

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What Happened? Cont.

• Started having difficulty breathing.
• It became difficult to get up after laying down.
• Suspected pneumonia-like bacterial infection.

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Whos to blame?

• Sungai Dusun Rhino Conservation center.
• Said to be a Random event.
• Mohamad Khan, chairman of Malaysian Rhino
  Foundation,

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Whats Next?

• Hope to get program restarted.
• Finding new rhinos would be difficult.
• Safest to abandon the existing center.

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The End