PANDEGLANG/JAKARTA, Indonesia — A recent revelation that up to 26 Javan rhinos may have been poached, out of a total population of 70-odd, has come as a major blow to conservation efforts in Indonesia. The still-unfolding case has highlighted flaws in security management at Ujung Kulon National Park, the last place on Earth where this critically endangered species is found. In June, Mongabay Indonesia conducted a comprehensive investigation, including data analysis, ground checking and discussions with multiple sources in and around the park, to determine how two poaching gangs were able to carry out a killing spree for years in one of the most heavily patrolled and surveilled protected areas in the world. We found strong indications suggesting a key member of the patrol team may have been feeding information to the poachers. The latter, for their part, had access to funding, weapons and hunting expertise. While some progress has been made in uncovering the methods used by the poachers, many questions remain unanswered, casting the future of the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) into doubt. Ujung Kulon National Park is located at the westernmost tip of the island of Java. A Javan rhino immerses itself in the Cigenter River in Ujung Kulon National Park. Image by Stephen Belcher courtesy of Ujung Kulon National Park. Yusup, 53, who heads a local youth organization, lives just 50 meters (160 feet) from the house of Sunendi bin Karnadi, 32, the poaching kingpin who in June was convicted and sentenced to a record 12…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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