Sumatran Rhinoceros

Dicerorhinus sumatrensis

The Sumatran rhinoceros, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, is the smallest living rhinoceros and the only Asian rhino with two horns. Often called the hairy rhinoceros, it has reddish-brown skin with a covering of coarse hair, a flexible upper lip for browsing, and a strong dependence on mud wallows in dense tropical forest. It is the last surviving member of an ancient rhino lineage and once ranged widely across Southeast Asia, but today it survives only in tiny, fragmented populations, mainly on Sumatra.

Keeping this species is a conservation emergency rather than conventional zoo display. Remaining animals are managed through Indonesian sanctuary and breeding programs that try to bring isolated rhinos together before more genetic diversity is lost. Care requires large quiet forested paddocks, frequent wallowing, mineral supplementation, and a steady supply of leafy browse. Reproduction has proved difficult; females left without breeding for long periods may develop reproductive tract problems, and every calf is important. Field teams also work on habitat security, camera-trap surveys, and preventing poaching or accidental snaring.