Indonesia boasts extraordinary biodiversity, including various endemic wildlife species facing extinction. One of them is the Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), a large mammal with two horns that has become an Indonesian conservation icon. Getting to know the Sumatran Rhinoceros better will foster awareness of the importance of wildlife and its increasingly threatened habitat conservation.
According to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), the wild Rhinoceros population is currently critically low, estimated to be less than 80 individuals. The Director of Biodiversity Conservation at KLHK, Dr. Indra Sanusi, M.Sc., in a press conference in Jakarta on Monday, April 28, 2025, stated that conservation efforts for the Rhinoceros are a top government priority. “We continue to strive to enhance habitat protection and prevent illegal poaching to prevent the Rhinoceros population from further decline,” he said.
The Sumatran Rhinoceros is the smallest rhinoceros species in the world and is characterized by its two horns and a body covered in coarse hair. They live in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra and a small part of Kalimantan. The Sumatran Rhinoceros is a solitary herbivore that is active at night. The main threats to the survival of the Sumatran Rhinoceros are habitat loss due to deforestation and illegal poaching for their horns, which are traded illegally.
The Head of the Gunung Leuser National Park Authority, Mr. Junaidi Malik, S.Hut., M.Si., when met at the Sumatran Rhinoceros conservation center in Aceh on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, explained the various efforts being made to protect this endangered animal, including forest patrols, ex-situ breeding programs, and education for communities around the forest. He emphasized that the success of Rhinoceros conservation requires support from all parties. “We need active participation from the community and strict law enforcement to protect the Rhinoceros from extinction,” he said.
Getting to know the Rhinoceros more deeply is the first step to increasing concern for the fate of this endangered animal. The existence of the Rhinoceros is an important part of Indonesia’s invaluable biodiversity and must be preserved together.