Muara Teweh, Ekuatorial – World Wide Fund (WWF) spotted rhino’s footprints in East Teweh sub-district, North Barito district of Central Kalimantan, said a researcher in Muara Teweh, on Wednesday (17/12).
“Our camera trap manage to record not only footprints of elephants but also rhinos,” said Habraham, WWF researcher adding that video trap was installed in mud hole in research area.
In addition, villagers of Benangin claimed that they have seen rhinos in the areas but they did not know more about its population. Similar to banteng and elephant as endangered species in Indonesia, rhino is also categorized as protected animal. Besides illegal poaching, their existence are threatened by mining activities in Central Kalimantan.
Habraham said that they were still doing social survey to locate rhino population spots. Rhinos’ existence was also based on villagers’ collection of its horn, teeth and skin. The survey was conducted in Murung raya district. Nevertheless, he said that rhino footprints can be found in Tarakan and West Kutai districts, in East Kalimantan. “Researchers have located four mud holes of rhinos. They were at least four meter wide and eight meter long,” he said adding that they found 16, 18, 20, and 24 centimeters of footprints.
Furthermore, he said that researchers were much more ease to do their job in East Kalimantan as companies were willing to give permission to do the survey. On the other hand, Central Kalimantan was a bit challenge because little support from the government and companies. ” They [Central Kalimantan] are still very reluctant to open the map,” he said. Maturidi