As Malaysia’s last Sumatran rhino dies, there are more species facing extinction due to habitat destruction

The Sumatran rhino once roamed Asia. Today, fewer than 100 remain – and in fact, some estimates put the number as low as 30.

And now, the Sumatran rhino is extinct in Malaysia.

The last of the species in the country was a 25-year-old female named Iman, who died on the island of Borneo. Malaysia’s last male Sumatran rhino died earlier this year.

Characterized by their small size and bristly hair, Sumatran rhinos are one of five rhino species alive today – and they are critically endangered.

The Sumatran rhino, by far the smallest of the living rhinoceros species, has plummeted in numbers as a result of habitat loss and poaching. However, the biggest threat it faces now is fragmented distribution. With limited opportunities to find a mate, the population continues to decline.

Efforts to breed the animals have proved largely unsuccessful, with just two captive animals reproducing in the last 15 years.

The Sumatran rhino is the most prehistoric of all rhinoceros species and is the most closely related to the now-extinct woolly rhino, which lived in Asia and Europe in the Ice Age. It's thought the woolly rhino declined rapidly 9,000 years ago due to a climate shift, and the species has struggled to return to full strength.

Across the globe, rhinoceros numbers are declining, and their prized horns have captured poachers’ eyes for decades. The Sumatran rhino’s cousin, The last male northern white rhino, a cousin of the Sumatran rhino, died in 2018 on a reserve in Kenya. In a bizarre twist, its digital form is now roaming a London art exhibition as part of a show called Eco-Visionaries, showcasing art about the climate emergency.

There are, of course, many less well-known species on the verge of disappearing. For the most part, human interference and global warming are to blame. According to the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, more than 30,000 species are threatened with extinction – that’s 27% of all assessed species.

Other critically endangered species include the Mekong giant catfish, which has been hit by habitat damage as well as pollution.

The cuter but equally threatened Vancouver Island marmot is down to just 90 and continuing to decline due to their natural habitat destruction.

Habitat destruction, particularly through logging and mining, is also affecting Madagascar’s critically endangered Calumma Tarzan, which is one of many reptiles threatened with extinction.

We shouldn’t forget that species loss extends to the plant kingdom, as well. One example is the Wollemi pine, which grows in Australia. It's also on the verge of disappearing.