Precious rhino may need extra help to mate
Published on: Sunday, January 15, 2012/ DAILY EXPRESS
The female Sumatran rhino Puntung, whose ripped hooves on the left foot speak loudly of the terrible pain she must have endured in trying to violently free herself from the snare foot trap set by poachers years ago.
Miraculously, she survived the attempt and left a distinct and unique footprint that gave away her presence in the 1,200 sq km Tabin Wildlife Reserve.
On Dec. 18, last year, Puntung fell into a pit dug to get her but this time, her captors were the good guys from the Wildlife Rescue Unit who had the intention of making Puntung the mother of all future Sumatran rhino offsprings in Sabah. This is by pairing her off with a bachelor bull rhino named Tam which walked out into an oil palm estate in 2008.
After her capture, veterinarians examined Puntung's left foot and found that the terminal bones of the left leg were missing.
Because of that, Puntung basically became a tripod, supporting herself on three legs and unable to walk properly.
Disabled as she is, Puntung has fired an enthusiastic wave of hope all over the world to become a potential mother to swing back the tide of extinction, because she is young and rated fertile with active ovaries.
Because of the missing hooves, Sabah Wildlife Department Chief Vet Dr Sen Nathan thinks she may not be able to withstand a 500kg full mount of Tam during the preferred natural breeding process.
There are plans to come up with a prosthetic for her by international experts so that she can bear the weight of Tam during the mating.
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