Published 04.07
The last two known wild Borneo rhinos are sought after.
Now the Indonesian government wants to capture one of them to try to preserve the species through in vitro fertilization.
There are only two known Bornean rhinos left in the world, both females. One of them, Pahu, is found in the Kelian Rhino Sanctuary and the other, Pari, lives wild in Kutai Karanegara.
Previous attempts to retrieve eggs from Pahu have failed. Now the hope lies with Pari, who is judged to be younger.
The hope is that the Borneo rhinoceros is genetically similar enough to the Sumatran rhinoceros that some genetic heritage can be saved from the Bornean line.
If the IVF fertilization is successful, surrogates would likely be used for a safer pregnancy, says Ari Wibawanto of the provincial nature conservation agency in East Kalimantan.
