Sumatran rhinos show low inbreeding but when it happens, collapse is quick
by Carolyn Cowan on 29 April 2021
Fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos are believed to remain on Earth, and the species faces dire threats due to a low birth rate, habitat loss and fragmentation, and poaching.
A new study finds that, despite its small size, the population retains significant genetic diversity, and likely has the genomic “toolkit” necessary to survive threats like climate change or disease.
The findings are good news for conservationists, but also come with a warning: an analysis of a recently extinct subpopulation revealed that a rapid spike in inbreeding preceded their extinction.
Archaeologists in Brno have announced a unique discovery. During a dig in the city’s Vídeňská Street, they unearthed fragments of a skull of the now extinct woolly rhinoceros. It was most likely killed by prehistoric hunters, who resided in the area 16,000 to 20,000 years ago.
Along with mammoths, woolly rhinos were part of the megafauna during the Ice Age and a part of our ancestor’s diet. The closest extinct relative to the Sumatran Rhino was common throughout Europe and northern Asia and lived to see the end of the last glacial period.
The animal was covered with long, thick hair that helped it survive the harsh, cold weather and had a massive hump. Images of woolly rhinos have been found on cave paintings both in Europe and Asia.
Watching a pro at work
15 Feb 2021
As I said in my last blog,
Entertainment Sumatran-Rhino-Sanctuary style, in September 2019 I spent a few days at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) in Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia, with my long-time friend and wildlife photographer, Nick Garbutt.
I blame / credit Nick for my mid-career switch to rhino conservation. After studying History of Art at university and 13 years of working for specialist art booksellers and publishers and finally for Tate, my husband and I did something completely out of character and signed up for a group wildlife trip to Madagascar. Author Jim Crace, whom I met via a freelance fundraising consultancy job, recommended that I read David Quammen’s book,