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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Rhino breeding facility urgently needed in Borneo

TABIN: There is now an urgent need to establish the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary (BRS) breeding facility.

The facility, expected to cost around RM8 million is needed badly, and while the government has agreed to its establishment in 2008, it has not been built yet, Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA) Executive Director Datuk Dr Junaidi Payne said this to reporters visiting the interim facility on Thursday.

“I hope the capture of Puntung would prompt the government of Malaysia with renewed interest because we are in need of this proper long term breeding facility,” said Payne.

Puntung is a young Sumatran rhino that was captured on December 18, 2011, within the reserve itself and was moved to the interim facility next to the sole male rhino in captive, Tam, on Dec 25, last year.

“A tentative estimate of her age is 10 to 12 years old. She is feeding well and putting on weight,” he said.

Payne added that the capture of Puntung haD raised their hopes for survival of the species.

“What I can say at this stage is that we have a potentially fertile male, Tam, and a potentially fertile female, Puntung. So we are now presented with a potential that wasn’t there before, several years ago. If nothing else, it gives us something like the confidence element, not only for BORA but also the government, and that is something worth pursuing,” said Payne.

Without the facilities established, mating for Puntung and the sole male captive rhino on site, Tam, would have to take place in a small paddock between the night stall and the forest paddock, which Payne described, as tiny and not ideal.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Rhino breeding facility urgently needed in Borneo
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