Sumatran rhino Tam living out his final days
His health has improved but he is old, says vet
KOTA KINABALU: Tam, Malaysia’s last surviving male Sumatran rhino, has a limited time left due to old age, says the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD).
While his health has improved slightly, veterinarians however, are not giving him more than a few weeks, if not days, to survive.
Tam, whose age is estimated to be in the mid-30s, has shown a slight improvement over the past two days due to intensive care being carried out on him after SWD announced on Sunday that the animal was in a critical condition.
However, SWD director Augustine Tuuga said their main concern was his age as rhinos generally have a lifespan between 35 and 40 years.
“I have received the following update from the veterinarians; Tam has improved slightly the past two days as a result of intensive care.
“But the problem is age-related. We do not expect him to survive for much longer. The time frame is likely to be in days rather than weeks (before his expected demise),” said Augustine in a written text reply yesterday.
Tam and female rhino Iman are the only two rhinos in captivity in Malaysia.
Tam was found wandering in an oil palm plantation in Kretam, Sabah in August 2008 and was thought to be in its mid-20s at the time of its capture.
Rhinos have not been seen in Sabah’s jungles for over a decade.
The elusive species is considered extinct in the wild in Malaysia as no rhinos were detected in Sabah in recent years.
However, a Sumatran rhino was reportedly captured in Indonesia’s east Kalimantan last year.
Over the years, Malaysian authorities have been trying to engage with Indonesia in rhino preservation, with a focus on advanced reproductive technology, including in-vitro fertilisation.
Despite claims of ongoing government-to-government talks, efforts have been unsuccessful so far as no official confirmation has been achieved on the matter.