【2009 Archives】

Iman009 Archives the last surviving Sumatran rhinoceros in Malaysia, has died, meaning the future of the species looks particularly grim.

According to the International Rhino Foundation, Iman was 25 years old, and since being captured in 2014, spent her days inhabiting a wildlife reserve in the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo. She died of cancer.

Iman was the very last surviving member of the subspecies in Malaysia, after Tam, the last male Sumatran rhinoceros in the country, died in May 2018. This means the species now survives only in parts of Indonesia, in very small numbers — fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos remain alive, many of which are sheltered in protected forests and rescue facilities in Indonesia.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

“The passing of Iman, Malaysia’s last known Sumatran rhino, marks a tragic milestone for this species," said Jon Paul Rodriguez, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, in a statement.

"A tragic milestone for this species."

"With fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos left on the planet, the species’ last hope lies in Indonesia. Iman’s death underscores the urgency of the global community's efforts to save the Sumatran rhino from extinction and we are committed to continuing our work to support the government of Indonesia’s Emergency Action Plan to save this species."

Iman, like Tam, was cared for by an NGO called the Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA), who have been racing the clock to save the Sumatran rhino from extinction through breeding.

BORA posted an incredibly moving tribute to Iman on Facebook, in the form of a letter.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"You were also the sweetest soul, who brought so much joy and hope to all of us," it read. "May we be as strong as you in our urgent fight to save your species. May we be as courageous as you to never give up."

 

Sumatran rhinos are the smallest living rhinos in the world, and the only Asian rhino sporting two horns, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). They usually live between 35 and 40 years and only exist on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

According to the WWF, the Sumatran rhino "currently competes with the Javan rhino for the unenviable title of most threatened rhino species."

Though Sumatran rhinos were already declared extinct in the wild in Malaysia in 2015, with poaching and habitat loss identified by a study as the main reasons, Tam's death in particular was incredibly bad news for the survival of the species — as the last male, he took with him strong chances of breeding little rhinos.

Malaysia has reportedly been attempting to breed the rhinos using the reproductive technology in vitro fertilization (IVF) since 2011, but it's been an unsuccessful journey so far. Genetic material from both Iman and Tam has been preserved for future breeding attempts, though.

"There is limited knowledge about Sumatran rhino reproductive physiology and converting cells in a laboratory into viable embryos is complex," said Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, in a statement. "Still, there is hope for the survival of Sumatran rhinos."

Male Sumatran rhino Harapan at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia. He was born in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. Credit: Tatan Syuflana / AP / Shutterstock

Iman and Tam's deaths notably come months and weeks respectively after the UN published an exhaustive report on the globe's increasingly perilous extinction rate — the highest we've seen in human history. Scientists annually highlight this, listing the species that after millions of years of existence on this planet, are gone for good.

Rhinos, pursued and killed by humans for their horns, and subject to the global effects of human-induced habitat loss and climate change, are just one species suffering from this extinction crisis. 

• Life
• Digital Culture
• Social Good
• Games
• Science
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Tech

• Gmail search just got a lot smarter, thanks to AI
• The FBI: A Love Story
• Whither the Newsman?
• The Spectacular Desert
• Then and Now: 6 Generations of GeForce Graphics Compared
• The Business of Cruelty
• Unmaking the Myth of Ben-Gurion
• True Crimes
• Amazon Prime Grubhub deal: Save $10 off orders of $20 or more
• The Netflix-Twitter Complex

• Google researcher figures how to make great night photos with a smartphone
• M. Night Shyamalan is finally making that 'Unbreakable' sequel you keep asking him about
• Finally! 'Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite' shows off some big upgrades.
• The truth about Antarctica's 'Blood Falls' finally oozes out of the ice
• Amazon's screen
• IBM patents design for delivery drones to transfer payloads in mid
• Hands on: Acer Predator Triton 700 gaming laptop
• YouTuber faces jail time for his movie parodies, as angry studios say his videos hurt sales
• Mom and son end up on the kiss cam, and things got awkward
• Emilia Clarke is more scared to talk 'Han Solo' than 'Game of Thrones'

• Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Save $20 on Amazon Echo Show 5
• Different by Design
• The Netflix-Twitter Complex
• Saviors, Killers, Profiteers
• Android Performance Tips and Tweaks
• Choosing Battles
• Oh Spotify Up Yours!
• Coins of No Nation
• Reality Distortion Field: 10 Things Apple Won't Directly Say But We'll Infer About the iPhone X
• Thing Untweetable

• 44 GPU Fortnite Benchmark: The Best Graphics Cards for Playing Battle Royale
• End of Rand
• Saviors, Killers, Profiteers
• The Plastic Paddy’s Lament
• Best robot vacuum deal: Save $140 on roborock Q7 Max Robot Vacuum
• The Corporate Logo Singularity
• Whither the Newsman?
• The “Free Speech” Cheat
• Apple is reportedly still working on smart glasses of some kind
• Let Us Compare Mythologies