A rare Sumatran rhino, captured a few weeks ago, has died.
Indonesian conservation experts on Borneo said the female rhino named Najaq had a severe infection from wounds they believe were caused by poaching traps.
Najaq was captured on March 12. Experts said the Sumatran rhino population in the region is about 15. The species is threatened with extinction.
According to the International Rhino Foundation, only 100 Sumatran rhinos remain. The foundation said on its website that in Africa alone, poachers killed three or more rhinos per day last year due to demand for the horn on the black market.
“Our hearts are saddened by this devastating news from Kalimantan. There are many lessons to be learned from this event,” the International Rhino Foundation said in a statement on Tuesday.
CNN reported that World Wildlife Fund officials believe Sumatran rhinos were not extinct since conservationists discovered footprints in the region and caught one animal on camera.
Nyoman Iswarayoga, spokesman for World Wildlife Fund, said an autopsy on the 10-year-old rhino will be performed to determine the cause of death.
