JAKARTA (AFP) – In 2023, a newborn Javan rhino in Indonesia raised hopes for the highly endangered species. Now, conservationists fear poachers have killed up to a third of the surviving population, possibly with inside help.
Since last year, authorities have arrested six alleged poachers. But eight remain on the run, including one who managed to flee his home hours before police arrived.
The fugitive reportedly had recent data on rhinos in Java’s Ujung Kulon national park, the only place in the world the species is still found, sparking fears he had inside assistance.
The poachers claim two gangs have killed 26 rhinos since 2018 – between a third and a quarter of the species’ estimated population. “It’s a huge number,” said director of the International Rhino Foundation, Nina Fascione, adding that she was “shocked and devastated”.
The suspects reportedly said they killed the rhinos for their horns, which command huge sums from black market buyers in China.
