Tam, Malaysia’s Last Male Sumatran Rhino, Dies

The last male Sumatran rhinoceros in Malaysia died at a wildlife reserve in the Sabah state on the Borneo island Monday.

Tam, who was captured in 2008, was 30 years old. A female rhinoceros named Iman is now the only surviving member of the sub-species in the country. Tam's death throws a wrench into the country's plans to breed the species in captivity.

The cause of Tam’s death was not immediately clear, but he was suffering from kidney and liver problems. Once throughout Malaysia and even in eastern India, the Sumatran rhino has been functionally extinct in many areas, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Christina Liew, Malaysia's minister for tourism, culture and environment, said Tam’s genetic material will be preserved for future attempts to repopulate the species.

The government has been trying to revive the species via in-vitro fertilisation. Augustine Tuuga, the Sabah Wildlife Department director, said there were problems with Iman’s uterus and that she was incapable of becoming pregnant, but was still able to produce eggs. “We just have to look after the last remaining rhino. That’s all we can do, and try – if possible – to work with Indonesia."

Xavier Jayakumar, Malaysia's minister of water, land and natural resources, wrote on Twitter that Tam's death was a "great loss for the country's mega-diverse biodiversity. Efforts to conserve other indigenous species must be doubled if not tripled."

Rhino horn is coveted in parts of Asia for its purported medicinal qualities and as an ornament. Illegal poaching of these animals is pushing them into extinction.

The Sumatran rhino, the smallest type of rhino, was declared extinct in the wild in Malaysia in 2015. Habitat loss, and forests cut up by roads and converted into agricultural estates, had brought the animal to the brink of extinction.

Wildlife experts say that only 30 to 80 Sumatran rhinos remain in the world, most of whom live on the Sumatra and the Indonesian side of Borneo. “Let the loss of Tam be the wake-up call that we need to spring into action,” WWF Malaysia said on Facebook. “Our wildlife needs protection now and like it or not, we are their only hope.”

Malaysia is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots and home to many endangered species including the orangutan, Asian elephant and Malayan tiger. The Sumatran rhino is the only Asian rhino with two horns, is covered with long hair, and it is the closest relation to the extinct woolly rhino among any of the rhino species that survives today.