Welsh 1

Michael Welsh

English 10 Pre AP

Ms. Moss

18 February 2018

The Wonder of Kulon

The sun rises gently over the mountains in the Kulon National Park. Submerged in the

lake sits the Javan, peacefully spectating the morning activities of the forests wild life. Upon a

slight motion the water cascades down the side of the rhino, falling through the leather like folds

over its neck and shoulders. Dormant on the forest floor lies shrubs, shoots, and fallen fruits line

the forest floor. The sun brightens overhead but does not cut through the heavy tree line covering

the small lake. Under the canopy lies the vast and diverse wildlife of the Kulon National park,

each organism solitary from the world but living in perfect harmony amongst each other.

The undergrowth surrounding the Javan reveals the prevalence of the Arenga Palm,

slowly, the Javan lifts itself from the depths of the lake and onto the mossy bank. As the Javan

observes the life around it, not a soul is aware of its presence in the forest. With the single horn

on his head he scratches out the muck of the lake from his skin folds. Isolated, without another of

its kind in sight, the Javan sifts through the undergrowth separating palm from edible shrubs.

Well concealed by the dense brush of the

forest the Javan will not be seen by

(River Javan)
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any members of the forest at all. This isolation shall serve as his main form of protection.

The Javan Rhino, (Rhinoceros Sondaicus), is nearly the most endangered species known

to man. Standing up to 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighing in at up to 5,071 pounds this beast

resides in only the Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia. Javan Rhinos are herbivores,

consuming all the fallen fruit, shoots, and shrubs provided in the tropical environment that they

call home. Javans are the most adaptable feeder of all the Rhinos, but have a need for salt in their

diet. This 10 foot long beast is extremely rarely found in the wild, it is status is, “Critically

Endangered,” meaning it is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Physically

the Rhino is not much different than other one horns related to it. The one exception that the

Javan does possess is its head size, the head of a Javan is comparably smaller than other one horn

rhinoceroses. The skin of a Javan Rhino resembles armor but really is just folding over its neck,

shoulders, and behind. Gestation for the Rhino is every 15 or so months; but mothers birth a

single calve every 2 to 3 years. This reproduction rate does not raise the population at a sufficient

amount due to the fact that there are only 58-68

wild Javan Rhinos left in the world.

Furthermore, due to the massive physical build

of this animal, along with specific living

requirements for its habitat, the Javan rhino

does not migrate. With a scientific estimation

of a wild population of under 60 individuals, (The Endangered Javan Rhino)

Coupled with being forced by nature to live in a non-suitable habitat, the Javan Rhino takes the

title of the most endangered mammal in the world (World Wildlife Fund).
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Lack of migration for the Javan Rhino has led to problems with its natural, and only

habitat. The Rhino occupies the Kulon National Park and can only be found there; sadly, the park

is not being preserved well enough for the Javan Rhino’s survival. Invasive species have

squeezed out the Javan’s food source in 6,178 acres of land that used to be plentiful in the

shrubs, small plants, and fruits that sustain the Rhino. This habitat depletion has many causes,

one of the largest being that Javan Rhinos have been using the constantly shrinking number of

resources at an irreplaceable rate for all of their existence. Even at its peak the Javan Rhino has

only ever lived in close proximity to the Kulon National Park, on a world scale that is. These

issues are natural more so then man made; but, humans are a large contributor to why the Javan

Rhino currently resides on the critically endangered species list. Encroachment of neighboring

residents to the park have done their fair share of chipping away at the quality of the Javan’s

environment. In fact, organizations put in place to help the Rhino have taken action specifically

on those illegally residing in and around the Kulon National Park. The odds are stacked against

this Rhinos survival, both manmade and natural (World Wildlife Fund).

On the manmade side of the spectrum the Javan Rhino has many reasons for its critically

endangered status. This animal only inhabits a small protected area of the world for a reason, that

reason being deforestation. While the Javan Rhino is currently limited to the borders of the

Kulon National Park its species used to expand over Northeast Asia and Southeast India (World

Wildlife Fund). Not only did humans strip this poor creature of its home but also killed it for its

horn. Like gold on the black market this animal’s horn can fetch up to 30,000 dollars per

kilogram. Javan horns have been poached and shipped through Asia for as long as two millennia

and are valued for their believed medicinal purposes (Rainforest alliance). The combined

damages of poaching and habitat loss due to human interference has almost completely wiped
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out this species of Rhino. This low population leaves Javans helpless to environmental problems

that wouldn’t be relevant had they been of a substantial size (World Wildlife Fund).

The natural side of the spectrum is almost as unpromising as the manmade for the Javan

Rhino. Due to its critically endangered size Javans are susceptible to natural issues such as

reduced genetic diversity, natural disasters, overgrowth in select areas, and disease. With little to

no population the Javan Rhino has little to no choice in mates; this results in low genetic

diversity and inbreeding which make over all long term survival difficult for the species. The

Kulon National Park could easily be wiped out by the waves of a tsunami. The park is also in the

blast radius of Krakatau, a nearby volcano that harm the majority of the forests wild life. Javans

feed on undergrowth of the Kulon Park that flourishes in the sun, there is an overgrowth of a

plant called the Arenga Palm, which reduces the amounts of natural forage available to these

Rhinos. Over the last few years a disease has spread to the wild cattle in the park and from them

been transmitted to the Rhinos that neighbor them. There has been 4 deaths proven to be a result

of disease and with a population of under 60 this is devastating (World Wildlife Fund).

Though the fight of the Javan Rhinos survival may not seem easy or too promising they

are not alone. Mohamed Bin Zayed, the owner of species conservation projects, has set one up

for the Javan Rhino. The main focus points of this project include: establishing more RPU’s or

rhino protection units in Indonesia, the creation of the Sumatran Rhino sanctuary where more in-

depth research can be conducted on the species, expanding of the Javan Rhinos natural habitat,

and a program increasing the number of one horned rhinos by redistributing them to different

protected areas. So far this project is very well established, the new land that has been cleared of

all dangers to the Rhino is called, The Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area or (JRSCA)

and so far the Mohamed Bin Zayed species conservation fund for the Javan Rhino has cleared 15
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hectares of land from dangers such as the Arenga palm. Fighting for the Javan Rhino can be done

by anyone, not just experts, a simple donation to the fund can help in the battle away to a healthy

and successful species (Mohamed Bin Zayed).

Mohamed Bin Zayed’s foundation is just one of those that fight for the Javan Rhino, the

World Wildlife Fund or (WWF) is another prevalent foundation in the saving of this species.

Much like Mohamed’s foundation in theory; although, the WWF is much more focused in its

approach. The WWF states, “Approach is based in the fact that when geographically bound rhino

populations reach the limit of numbers their habitat can support, reproduction drops.” Since the

Javan Rhino does not migrate, the WWF works to improve the quality, size, and capacity of the

Kulon National Park, its current habitat. Also mirroring Zayed’s fund the WWF plans on

removing the invasive palm as well as restoring vegetation more suitable to the rhino’s diet. The

WWF has plans to set up a second population of the Javan Rhino in case of a natural disaster

hitting the Kulon National Park, this population would serve as a means of research too. The

WWF also participates in actively patrolling the National Park for poachers looking to kill the

last of the Javans for their horns. Anyone can participate in the restoration attempts of the WWF

through funding, identical to Zayed’s foundation (World Wildlife Fund).

Foundations put in place to study, protect, and ultimately save the Javan Rhino all agree

on key things that need to happen in order for the species to continue to progress and hopefully

once again thrive. First, and most predominately fought for, the habitat of the Rhino must be

restored to its previous state. The Kulon National Park once held lands fertile and plentiful of

food and shelter for the Javan Rhino. With humans and the Arenga Palm acting as invasive

species, the park has been depleted to such a state that it can no longer sustain the incredibly

small number of Javan left. Organizations such as Mohamed Bin Zayed and the WWF have
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concluded through research that relocation and enclosed, protected life is plausible for the

rhino’s survival. While not ideal for such a large and solitary beast such as the Javan, the

desperation of these times calls for the relocation of the Javan for research purposes (Mohamed

Bin Zayed). While progress has been made the ongoing battle to save the Javan Rhino is still up-

hill. The Javan faces the ever constant danger of poaching and human encroachment, along with

the natural dangers of invasive species and the downfalls that come with an extreme lack of gene

pool diversity. In short, the Javan Rhino is in desperate need of help.

The Javan Rhino is one of the rarest rhinos left to be seen in this world. A close relative

to the beasts of Earth’s past the Javan also faces extinction in its near future. Foundations and

individuals worldwide are doing what they can to decrease the Arenga Palm’s infiltration of the

Kulon National Park, as well as deforestation, and illegal poaching. Donations to the

organizations fighting alongside the Javan Rhino to save it from extinction are curtail to this rare

Rhino’s survival; not only donations, but also, relocation of those rhinos still left alive in the wild

while simultaneously turning the Kulon National Park back into a safe haven for the Javan Rhino

is necessary to preserve this phenomenal creature for future generations.

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Work cited

“Javan Rhino.” International Rhino Foundation, rhinos.org/species/javan-rhino/.

Accessed 05 February 2018.

“Javan Rhino.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/species/javan-rhino.

Accessed 03 February 2018.

“RiverJavan.”c402277.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/photos/9496/images/hero_full/_H9A0249.j14

36885827. Accessed 04 February 2018.

“Species Profile: Javan Rhinoceros.” Rainforest Alliance, www.rainforestalliance

.org/species/javan-rhinoceros. Accessed 05 February 2018

“The Endangered Javan Rhino.” moziru.com/images/drawn-rhino-javan-rhino-13.jpg.

Accessed 02 February 2018.

Zayed , Mohamed. “Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Sondaicus).” The Mohamed Bin

Zayed Species Conservation Fund www.speciesconservation.org /case- studies -

proc/javan-rhinoceros/7918. Accessed 03 February 2018.