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SOS Rhino

The following is from the SOS Rhino website:

SOS Rhino is a non-profit, international foundation dedicated to preserving the five rhinoceros species in their natural habitats. Our conservation programs combine research, education, marketing and advocacy, all working collectively to achieve sustainable results.

Through diverse stakeholder support, SOS Rhino develops and funds rhino conservation and awareness programs appropriate to individual countries, providing these countries with the knowledge and tools to build lasting rhino conservation.

SOS Rhino is dedicated to protecting rhinos and their habitat. The Bornean sub-species of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni) is one of the most endangered rhinos — mainly due to habitat loss and poaching. There may be as few as 30 of this sub-species left in the wild and only two in captivity. With large and varied habitat requirements, the protection of this animal will further the conservation of other fauna and flora in the ecosystem they inhabit.

To increase the understanding of the Sumatran rhinoceros, SOS Rhino has joined staff from Sabah Wildlife Department Malaysia (JHL), World Wildlife Fund, and Singapore Zoological Gardens (SZG) to form the SOS Rhino Team in Borneo. Our team consists of a local Program Officers, Research Student, Veterinarian, 14 Field Staff, Volunteers from all over the world, and a Science Director.

SOS Rhino´s Borneo Project has two main goals: IN-SITU: protection/expansion of the population in the wild by supporting rhino protection and survey teams and involving local stakeholders in conservation efforts.

EX-SITU: successful breeding and health evaluation of the two rhinos in captivity at Sepilok by routine sample and data collection, hormone profiles, ultrasound evaluation, management/husbandry, and breeding.

Racine Zoo funded the three-week volunteer program fee with SOS Rhino Borneo. I left the US on Sept. 11 2007 and arrived in Borneo on the 14th. I joined a four member RPU (rhino protection unit) for 8 days in Malaysia´s Tabin Wildlife Reserve. At 300000 acres, Tabin Wildlife Reserve is the largest wildlife reserve in the state of Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo. Tabin is completely surrounded by palm oil plantations and was heavily logged until the early 1980´s, leaving less than 10% untouched jungle. The 8 day survey consisted of trekking to find rhino foot prints, mud wallows, and dung. We saw 7-8 mud wallows and a few footprints and dung samples. Locations of prints and wallows are mapped using GPS. I slept in a tarp-covered hammock, ate more rice than anyone could ever imagine, and encountered some of Borneo´s most impressive wildlife including a cobra, gibbons, proboscis monkeys, and Sambar deer. Trekking in the jungle is nothing like a hike in a US national park. Mud, slippery rocks, rivers and steep embankments dominate the jungle floor. I learned quickly that I had a 50/50 chance of grabbing a plant or tree with spikes, thorns, or spines if I happened to loose my balance.

In addition to the jungle experience I also stayed in the fishing village of Dagat for a community outreach program and assisted in teaching primary school children about the Sumatran rhino. One of my most unforgettable experiences was while I was in the truck, driving along side a vast open space, several acres square, covered in scrub. One towering tree stood in solitude. I realized that the tree was the only tree left standing after the land had been cleared of the world´s oldest jungle. Man brought down the jungle; now man must restore the jungle if the rhino is to survive. I left Malaysia on the 6th of October.