The Bornean rhinoceros is currently in a really dangerous situation with only two females left alive. These two are the last hope to avoid wasting their unique subspecies from disappearing eternally.
One female named Pari Mahulu still lives within the wild forests of East Kalimantan. The second female, Pahu, is already protected and cared for in a special sanctuary.
These rhinos cannot give birth on their very own within the wild because there aren’t any males left. The crisis forced the Indonesian government to take extreme and high-tech measures to avoid wasting them.
Scientists and officials at the moment are collaborating on a desperate mission to preserve their genetic history. They consider that doing nothing will result in certain extinction in a really short time.
Rare Bornean rhinoceros
Bornean rhinoceros, scientifically often known as Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoniis a novel subspecies found only on the island of Borneo. The Bornean is the smallest of all existing rhinos. It is a subspecies of the critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros.
Adult Bornean rhinos weigh between 600 and 950 kg. They are 1 to 1.5 meters high and a pair of to three meters long. This rhino has a smaller head and the darkest skin of all Sumatran rhinos.
Baby rhinos have thick fur that becomes thinner and darker as they grow. They even have hairy ears, wrinkles around their eyes, and a special lip for catching food, identical to the black rhinoceros.
However, habitat loss and hunting have reduced their known population to simply two individuals. These animals are like living diamonds because they’re so rare and helpful to Indonesia’s biodiversity.
Pari Mahulu is especially significant because she is the last of her kind still roaming free on Mahakam Ulu. Experts say its young age and healthy condition are a very powerful assets for the survival of the subspecies.
If it dies without help, the complete evolutionary history of the Bornean rhino could disappear immediately. The mission to avoid wasting her is a race against a ticking clock that nature cannot stop by itself.
The East Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) is leading the trouble to avoid wasting these two rhinos. In June 2026, they held a big meeting in Balikpapan to finalize the daring rescue of Pari.
The government decided that leaving Pari alone within the wild was essentially a death sentence for her family. Therefore, they’re preparing to capture her and transfer her to the Kelian Rhino Sanctuary.
This move could be very difficult and requires specially designed helicopter transport to address the rugged terrain. Employees are currently ending their work in a special quarantine area, the so-called boma to assist her acclimate safely.
He will spend three months there under strict medical supervision to take care of his health and peace. Then he’ll move to a bigger everlasting house, the so-called paddock which is being built especially for her.
IVF program
The most ambitious a part of the plan involves the usage of in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology. Since there aren’t any Bornean males, scientists will collect eggs from Pari to fertilize them in a specialized laboratory.
Experts selected Pari for the IVF project because she is young, healthy and has a great probability of giving birth to healthy eggs. BKSDA wants to maneuver it to the Kelian Rhino Reserve to create a brand new generation of rhinos within the laboratory.
On the opposite hand, Pahu is older and already has health problems. Therefore, Pahu can now not help start the reproductive program.
They plan to make use of frozen semen from male Sumatran rhinos since the two subspecies are very close relatives. Natural breeding shouldn’t be possible because Sumatran rhinos are much larger and might harm the smaller Bornean female.
If the team manages to create an embryo, they’ll use a surrogate mother to hold the child to term. This high-tech approach is the one technique to keep Bornean rhinoceros DNA alive for the longer term.
The Indonesian Ministry of Forestry says these efforts are a matter of national responsibility to the world. They need to make certain that future generations will give you the option to see these magnificent rhinos in real life, not only in books.
