The Javan rhinoceros is perhaps the most threatened large mammal in the world, with only two populations known to exist in the wild

The World Wildlife Fund for Nature said on Friday it had found the traces of the extremely rare and endangered Vietnamese Javan Rhinoceros, of which no more than a dozen are thought to exist.

The DNA analysis there will help experts detect the sex and the number of unique white rhinos they are tracking through Cat Thien National Park in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

The group referred to the creature (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) as “one of the world’s rarest mammals.”

“This field survey aims to reveal the secrets of Vietnam’s little known Javan rhino population in an effort to save it from extinction,” Sarah Brook, leader of the WWF rhino project in Vietnam, said in the statement.

The search has been aided by two hounds from the US,

London’s Zoological Society, meanwhile, will carry out a hormone analysis to reveal the animal’s breeding capability, WWF said, adding that it would draft a conservation plan based on the analyses.

WWF Vietnam’s country director Tran Minh Hien said: “The rhino is not only a rare animal unique to this country, but protecting the rhino is a flagship for conservation efforts in Vietnam.”

“If we lose the rhino, the future does not look good for Vietnam’s other rare and endemic species.”

According to WWF, the Vietnamese Javan rhino was thought to be extinct on mainland Southeast Asia until hunters in Vietnam were reportedly killed one in 1988.

Although its population is believed to be less than ten in Vietnam, no conclusive survey has ever been conducted to verify it, the organization noted.

WWF said Javan rhino are often hunted for their horns, skin and faeces for medicinal purposes. The species’ habitat has also been encroached upon by agricultural expansion and hydropower projects.

Source: Thanh Nien