This archive report was first published on 24 November 2019.
On November 24, 2019, Malaysia's last surviving Sumatran rhino, Iman, passed away on the island of Borneo due to cancer, according to the Sabah Wildlife Department.
Iman, a 25-year-old female, had been living in the same nature reserve as Tam, Malaysia's last male Sumatran rhino, who died in May 2019.
"She was starting to suffer significant pain from the growing pressure of the tumours," said Augustine Tuuga, director of the Sabah Wildlife Department.
"I think we can confirm that the Sumatran rhino is now extinct in Malaysia," Tuuga added.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos remain anywhere in the world, with only a handful found in the wilds of Indonesia.
John Payne, executive director of Borneo Rhino Alliance, attributed the decline of the Sumatran rhinos to factors such as changes in climate, vegetation, and hunting for traditional Chinese medicine.
