There is still a chance to save the Sumatran rhino (commentary)

Captive breeding has been a key strategy to save species on the brink of extinction, but it is frequently not applied until wild populations have dwindled to a very small size. Under these circumstances, it becomes a challenging and risky undertaking, from the unpredictable nature of capturing and relocating wild animals to the vagaries of advanced reproductive technology or unsuccessful coupling. The ultimate goal is to keep remaining animals in human care until the threats have been addressed and the population is large enough to reestablish them in the wild. In 2017, rhino experts from around the world and government officials reached a consensus that saving the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) required the capture and consolidation of remaining wild populations in intensively managed captive breeding facilities, in response to the gravity of the animal’s plight. Previous attempts to halt its decline, including intensive monitoring and anti-poaching efforts, and habitat protection and restoration, have been less successful than expected – in part, because they did not address the serious problem of poor reproduction. The Sumatran rhino is one of the most critically endangered mammals on Earth. Fewer than 100 individuals remain in nine isolated populations in Sumatra and Borneo, now so dispersed that they rarely, if ever, find each other to mate, and none with sufficient numbers for the species to survive in the wild. And to add insult to injury, through lack of encounters with males, female rhinos tend to develop reproductive problems. In short, the species is in crisis.…

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