Video: First Ever Footage of Ultra-Rare Rhino

Email to a Friend

April 24, 2007—It's one of the world's most elusive animals, but this particular Sumatran rhinoceros is anything but camera shy, judging from its noisy investigation of a video camera trap.

Photographed for the first time in 2006, the Borneo subspecies of the Sumatran rhino is "almost never seen by people," Mahedi Andau, director of the wildlife department of Malaysia's Sabah state, said in a statement. This unnarrated video, released by his department and the international conservation organization WWF, provides the first recorded glimpse of the species in motion.

Found only in the forests of Sabah state on the island of Borneo (Malaysia map), the rhinos are thought to number no more than 50.

The three countries with territory on the island—Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia—have recently agreed to conserve the animals' current territory.

"Tremendous progress has been made in recent years," WWF President Carter Roberts said in a statement. "But so much more needs to be done considering this species may very well disappear in the next 10 years."

EMAIL NEWSLETTER Photos and News of the Week

Get the top photos and news of the week from National Geographic News, plus occasional breaking-news alerts.

See Sample >>
Please enter a valid email address
Privacy Policy
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS




ADVERTISEMENT


LATEST NEWS VIDEOS

Vote for Your Favorite Green Idea!

Who do you want to see receive $20,000 to put their Earth-saving idea into action? Check out the ten Green Effect finalists, and until July 20 you can vote—up to once a day—for your favorite idea!