Category: extinct

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Javan rhinos: is the Indonesian government lying? misleading? or being straight with the world.

It appears that the counters of the Javan rhino, have continued to count animals which have not been seen for years. Given how much poaching has been going on, this seems much more than simply misleading.

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 Unfortunately, this counting issue, takes the Javan rhino from a species which is recovering at an impressive rate, to a species which might disappear within a decade. In the latest count 3 rhino were included, which are known to have died back in 2019.

According to the official numbers, in 2011, when the cameras were installed there were 35 rhino, and that number has climbed steadily to a current number of roughly 72.

 

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Goulds mouse, thought extinct for 125 years, lives on

The mouse was considered to be stuck on the mainland, which means that if true it would have been lost for good.

Thankfully this was not the case. 

This mouse was living under the identity of the Djoongari mouse, or the Shark bay mouse, on an island in shark bay.

Furthermore, by looking at the genetic diversity of these mice (from specimens taken at the time) was high, which makes it clear that right before extinction, there were large numbers of these animals. This means that their extinction was not a natural process as had been assumed, but is instead an issue with human arrival. 

Instead, extinct is likely due to a mixture of

  • Introduction of predators in the form of domestic cats and foxes
  • changes to fire management (carried out effectively before European arrival)
  • Introduction of new diseases
  • Habitat destruction due to industrialisation and land clearing for agriculture.

While these mice are unlikely to be possible to return to the mainland for some time (until feral cats and other species are eliminated) they can perhaps be introduced to other small islands to guarantee their survival.

 

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