Sumatran Rhino

As few as 30 Sumatran rhinos survive in the wild, making them one of the rarest, most endangered mammals in the world. We're working to help protect the largest surviving population in the Leuser Ecosystem of Indonesia.

Common Name:

Sumatran Rhino

Scientific Name:

Dicerorhinus sumatrensis

Status:

Critically Endangered

Weight: 

600-950kg (1,320 -2,090 pounds)

Size:

About 1m tall (3-3.5 ft.)

Habitats:

Dense highland and lowland tropical and sub-tropical forests

Continent:

Asia

GC Sites:

Leuser Ecosystem, Sumatra, Indonesia

Partners:

Forum Konservasi Leuser

Historical Population: 

Evolutionary biologists believe that Sumatran rhino numbers reached their peak 1 million years ago, when there were roughly 58,000 individuals. 12,000 years ago, their numbers had declined to just 700, likely due to rising sea levels, and that population remained stable until relatively recently (Mays et al. 2018). There were just 250 left by 2008 (Mongabay). 

Sumatran Rhino Global Population Size Over Time by Year and Estimated Population:

1 million years ago — 58,000

12,000 years ago — 700

2008 — 250

2021 — 30-80

Current range (dark green) and historical range (light green) of the Sumatran rhino. Courtesy WWF.

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Sumatran rhinos are one of the rarest, most endangered mammals in the world. Today, there are less than 100 individuals left in the Island of Sumatra. The largest surviving population is found in the Leuser Ecosystem, an area of rainforest located in northern Sumatra of more than 2.5 million hectares. 

Sumatran rhinos are generally found in tropical regions covered with cloud forests, rain forests, and swamps. Historically, they roamed throughout Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. However, they have vanished throughout most of their historic range.

Today, this species is only found in Sumatra and eastern Kalimantan (Indonesia), on the island of Borneo.

In 1900, there were an estimated 5,000 individuals, but by the beginning of this century there were possibly less than 1,000 individuals surviving in fragmented populations. In Sumatra, there are currently less than 80 individuals remaining in fragmented areas. An additional small population, of an estimated 15 rhinos, survive in Kalimantan.

Solitary most of the time, except in the breeding season, they have a long lifespan and low reproductive rates.

Did you know? The Sumatran Rhino is the smallest and hairiest of all rhino species, and is known as the “singing rhino” because of its wide range of vocalizations.

Threats

The main threat to the Sumatran rhino is habitat loss, since its habitat has been converted from forests to areas used for agriculture, cattle pastures, and logging.

Additionally, this species has increasingly been a target for poachers: it is hunted for its horn, which has been attributed medicinal properties in the Asian culture, especially in China and Vietnam.

Sumatran rhinos are listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and are included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Conservation Action

The Sumatran Rhino’s last bastion for survival is the Leuser Ecosystem on the island of Sumatra, consisting of some 2.6 million hectares of diverse landscapes, 80% of which is in the province of Aceh. This globally unique ecosystem boasts Sumatra's most significant tropical rainforest remnant and is one of the richest representations of the biodiversity of Southeast Asia. 

Despite its special legal status as a National Strategic Area for its Environmental Protection Function, the Leuser Ecosystem is under severe threat from illegal oil palm and other plantations, logging, encroachment, mining and fires - all of which exacerbate the poaching pressure on critically endangered species like the Sumatran rhino.

Did you know? Sumatran rhinos are more closely related to the extinct woolly rhinos than to any of the other rhino species alive today.

Global Conservation is working to protect the forests and where the last rhinos exist. We have been funding the protection of critical Sumatran Rhino habitat in Benkung Trumon Megafauna Sanctuary in Leuser Ecosystem for the past six years with our Partner in Conservation - Forum Konservasi Leuser (FKL). FKL is led by the passionate and dedicated conservationist, Rudi Putra. He works tirelessly to save the Leuser Ecosystem and was awarded the Goldman Environmental Award in recognition of this in 2014. He is relentlessly dedicated to saving the Sumatran rhino.

In the last three years, alongside our Global Park Defense program, we have established new nature reserves, wildlife corridors, and buffer zones. Additionally, around 24 illegal plantations, 36 illegal logging operations, and 30 palm oil plantations have been restored into forest. Numerous poachers have been arrested to protect rhinos and many other species from illegal hunting. 

With funding support from Global Conservation, FKL has increased its monitoring and protection efforts for this Critically Endangered species.  

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