Cancer-stricken Puntung put to sleep

PETALING JAYA: Puntung ( pix), one of three surviving Sumatran rhinoceros in Sabah, was put to sleep at the Tabun Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu yesterday morning.

Sabah Wildlife Department Augustine Tuuga said the female rhinoceros had been suffering from a type of skin cancer and was struggling with her condition.

They had decided to put an end to her suffering earlier than the planned June 15 deadline.

Tuuga said after consulting rhino reproduction advisers at Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin and others, they decided to end Puntung’s agony and euthanise her immediately.

Tuuga said to ensure the survival of Puntung’s species, her ovaries were sent to the Agro-Biotechnology Institute, Serdang.

“Indonesian reproductive specialist Prof Arief Boediono from Jakarta was ready to recover any egg cells that might be present.

“If any oocytes can be retrieved and matured, frozen sperm from the male rhino Kertam will be thawed for intracytoplasmic sperm injection which will be done by Arief.

“We will know the outcome within a few days,” he said.

Puntung garnered international attention last month for enduring dental surgery by a multinational team at the wildlife reserve.

Tuuga said Puntung was actually suffering from skin cancer and not tooth infection as earlier suspected.

“The cancer has been spreading rapidly over the past few weeks.

“Specialists from several countries agreed that it will be fatal with or without treatment.

“As of today, Puntung can no longer breathe through her left nostril, she can no longer vocalise, she is in pain and her condition is declining fast,” he was reported as saying.

“Other than administering painkillers, there is nothing more we can do.

“We are left with no other recourse except to agree with professional medical advice, and accordingly, we have authorised euthanasia,” he added.

With Puntung’s death, Sabah has a pair of Sumatran rhinos, a male (Kertam) and female (Iman), which are currently under the protection of the Sabah wildlife department at Tabun reserve here.