Vietnam's Javan rhino now extinct

On 25 October 2011, WWF and the International Rhino Foundation confirmed that the Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam is extinct.

The species was initially believed to be extinct in Vietnam until 1988, when a very small population was found still clinging to existence in Cat Tien National Park. Efforts were made to save this population but poor protection of its habitat ultimately led to its demise. The last Javan rhino in Vietnam was found dead in the National Park in April 2010. A new WWF report also points to poaching as the likely cause of the death, as the rhino was found with a bullet in its leg and had its horn removed.

It is one of WWF's highest priority to save the remaining Javan rhinos in Indonesia and the other species in Vietnam – such as the tiger, Asian elephant and endemic species like the saola – that are all at risk of extinction unless law enforcement and protected area management significantly improves.

Download the report: Extinction of the Javan Rhinocerous in Vietnam