Sabah Wildlife Dept to preserve Iman's carcass

KOTA KINABALU (Bernama): The Sabah Wildlife Department plans to preserve the carcass of Iman, the last surviving Sumatran rhino in Malaysia, which died Saturday (Nov 23) afternoon, and hand it over to the Sabah Museum.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the carcass is still at the Borneo Rhinoceros Sanctuary in Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu.

"We will try to preserve (the carcass) and I plan to hand it over to the Sabah Museum," he said when contacted by Bernama Sunday (Nov 24).

Iman was captured in 2014 in the Danum Valley, Lahad Datu and is estimated to be 25 years old.

The female rhinoceros’s death at 5.35pm Saturday was announced by the Sabah Wildlife Department in a statement.

Iman's death marked the extinction of the species in Malaysia.

According to Tuuga, she died due growing pressure of a tumor into the bladder.

Tuuga said the move to preserve the carcass is for it to be exhibited at the Sabah Museum to provide information to the public on the existence of the species in Malaysia, especially in Sabah.

"We want to make it known that we used to have the species in Malaysia, and it (Iman) was the last, ” he added.

He said Iman’s carcass would be preserved like that of Tam’s, the sole surviving male Sumatran rhino which died last May due to old age and multiple organ failure stemming from kidney and liver damage.

Tuuga said the egg cells that were harvested from Iman were still preserved and the department hoped to collaborate with the Indonesian government to provide new rhinoceros sperm to fertilise the eggs through the in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) method.

Last October, the preserved Sumatran male rhinoceros' carcass was on display at the Sabah Museum in conjunction with the "Head of State and Tam, The Last Male Rhino” exhibition held to celebrate the 66th official birthday of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sabah Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.

Meanwhile, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the report on Iman’s death would be tabled at the state Cabinet meeting next week to discuss the next steps to be taken.

"The state government has done its best to treat Iman, as well as to harvest the egg cells of the last female rhino in the country.

"Unfortunately, Iman had cancer and she could not be saved. Her death is saddening, ” he told reporters after presenting scrolls to graduates of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) at its convocation here Sunday.

Mohd Shafie also said the state government had identified areas to be gazetted for wildlife next year, just like what was being done in Africa, as part of an effort to protect forested areas and also ensure the survival of wild animals, especially those facing extinction, like the pygmy elephants of Sabah.

"We know these elephants enter village areas and into oil palm plantations, but it is not a 'licence' to kill these wildlife. Instead, the villagers should contact the authorities, ” he added.

In Sandakan, Borneo Rhino Alliance (Bora) chairman Prof Dr Abdul Hamid Ahmad said Bora would continue to operate at the sanctuary in efforts to revive the species in Sabah, apart from continuing the fight to conserve other endangered ones.

He reiterated that Bora was fully committed to working with Indonesia towards reviving the species based on the egg cells retrieved and the available technology today.

He also paid tribute to all the organisations and people who worked tirelessly to save Iman and the dedication of Bora's field veterinarian Dr Zainal Zahari Zainuddin for fighting till the very end in trying to ensure that she would live. - Bernama