Nation's last female Sumatran rhino under close medical supervision

Tam is one of the last surviving endangered Sumatran rhino here in Malaysia, which has been rescued and kept at BRS since 2008, to hopefully contribute to babies that can carry the species through generations to come.

KOTA KINABALU: The nation's last female Sumatran rhino remains on heavy medication as her carers closely monitor for any signs of danger.

"We have given her 15 litres of fluids and supplements apart from antibiotics, painkillers, vitamin K and a gastric protectant," department director Augustine Tuuga said on Thursday (Dec 21).

He added that the amount of food and fluids consumed by Iman was being monitored, as well as how much it urinated and defecated.

"She has only consumed three stalks of leaves and only drank a little bit," said Tuuga.

Tuuga said Iman was drinking small amounts of water and refused to eat any fruits.

He said Iman's uterus was still bleeding and the animal was secreting dark, partially-clotted blood through her vagina.

"We will start a very low dose of diazepam to stimulate her appetite," he said, adding that Iman was still moving about at night.

Iman began bleeding from a uterine leiomyoma tumour in mid December.

Veterinarians initially faced difficulties in treating her as she refused to leave her mud wallow at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu.

The rhino eventually left the mud wallow and Iman's carers immediately began giving her medication.

Iman is the last surviving female Sumatran rhino in the country.

It was rescued from Sabah's Danum Valley in 2014 and was later placed at Tabin for a captive breeding programme.

Iman and another female rhino, Puntung, as well as a male rhino, Tam, were the last three Sumatran rhinos in the country and scientists had hoped to breed them.

However, Puntung was euthanised in June after suffering from skin cancer.

Any hopes of a breeding programme were dashed when scientists were unable to recover any eggs from Puntung's ovaries.