Our funding supported several disease studies in and around the protected parkland, with a specific focus on the risk to the Javan rhinoceros from hemorrhagic septicemia – an acute, highly fatal form of pasteurellosis common in local water buffalo populations. With less than 80 Javan rhinoceros left in the world, and none in captivity, every individual is valuable when it comes to saving the species. Researchers needed to know if these sites were safe for establishing a second population of Javan rhinoceros without compromising their health and well-being. However, before this could be undertaken, potential pitfalls, including disease risks, needed to be studied for potential pitfalls. To bolster their chances of survival, conservationists are diligently identifying a second protected area for them. This is especially pertinent for the Javan rhinoceros, which currently resides in one protected parkland in Indonesia. To save endangered animals, conservationists often work to expand their habitats. Together, these studies provide hope for boosting breeding productivity in conservation rhinoceros and long-term stability of wild populations. This underscores the importance of measuring stress hormones to improve the management of captive animals and inform breeding program efforts. Our researchers found that high levels of stress hormones, particularly in females, were associated with reproductive problems. Both low genetic diversity and inbreeding can compromise breeding efforts and long-term survival of all five rhinoceros species.Īdditionally, our studies have delved into other compounding factors, including the stress associated with housing and social conditions of captive rhinoceros. Our funded research projects also helped inform the development of early genetic databases, vital for the genetic well-being of the species and providing a buffer from poaching and mass mortality events. This includes establishing reliable methods for sperm collection and freezing, as well as effective ways to test and monitor fertility and gestation. We’ve supported the development of reproduction technologies for multiple rhinoceros species in managed breeding programs. Our funded studies are working to change this statistic. Some estimates suggest that only half of captive female rhinoceros successfully reproduce, adversely impacting the species’ chances of establishing a self-sustaining population. Conversely, birth rates for captive, conservation female rhinoceros are notably lower. In the wild, female rhinoceros typically reproduce every two to five years, with only one calf per pregnancy – twins being a rarity. Here are a few ways our funded studies are playing a pivotal role in safeguarding rhinoceros populations worldwide, aiding them not only to survive but also thrive.ĭespite aggressive captive breeding programs, rhinoceros reproductive rates remain low. The Foundation supports conservation of these iconic animals by investing in the health and welfare of both free-roaming wild animals and conservation animals living in zoos and sanctuaries. SeptemFor more than three decades, Morris Animal Foundation has championed rhinoceros health studies across all five species: white, black, Sumatran, Javan and Indian rhinoceros.
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