Javan Rhino Stories

Ensuring a future for one of the world's oldest mammals

Facts about rhinos and what WWF is doing to help protect the species.

In an enormous setback for wildlife conservation, China announced it will allow hospitals to use tiger bone and rhino horn from captive-bred animals for traditional medicine. The decision reverses a decades-old ban that has been instrumental in preventing the extinction of endangered tigers and rhinos.

WWF’s approach is based in the fact that when geographically bound rhino populations reach the limit of numbers their habitat can support, reproduction drops.

Much-needed hope for the critically endangered Javan rhino has come in the form of three calves. The calves—one female and two males—were spotted on new camera trap footage from earlier this year, bringing the total number of Javan rhinos up to 60. There are none in captivity.

Stunning images of an elusive Javan rhino were captured by photographer Stephen Belcher in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park—a first in nearly 15 years of only capturing blurry camera trap images of the animal. Javan rhinos are extremely difficult to photograph because they are very shy and live in dense, often impenetrable rain forests.