KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 – Puntung, one of Malaysia’s last three Sumatran rhinoceroses, will have to undergo euthanasia as it is dying from skin cancer.

According to Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) Director Augustine Tuuga, Puntung is suffering from squamous cell cancer that left the female rhinoceros in pain, unable to vocalise, and unable to breathe through its left nostril.

“It turns out that the swelling on Puntung’s left cheek that alerted us to the infected tooth root had a more serious origin.

“After the surgery, the swelling progressed and two subsequent biopsies revealed squamous cell carcinoma,” he said in a statement.

According to Tuuga, the cancer has been spreading rapidly over the recent weeks and specialists have agreed that the cancer would be fatal, with or without treatment.

“We are left with no other recourse except to agree with professional medical advice and accordingly, we have authorised euthanasia.

“This is a very difficult decision to make, but the specialists agreed that on balance, this is the best out of a very small number of unpleasant choices,” he said.

Puntung, a 25-year-old rhino, suffered from an abscess that would not heal despite treatment since mid-March.

Last month, veterinarians assisted Puntung in extracting two molars and one premolar from its left upper jaw in bid to heal the abscess.

Borneo Rhino Alliance (Bora) executive director Dr John Payne expressed condolences and shock towards Puntung’s condition.

“This is devastating news for all of those who have been involved in Puntung’s life over the past ten years.

“Bora staff who have had Puntung under intensive care over the past two months have been shocked by the very visible rapid growth in the size of the carcinoma,” said Payne in a statement.

Payne also said that his team is currently making the necessary preparations to preserve Puntung’s oocytes (eggs).

“With that, she may yet be able to contribute to the survival of her species.”

Puntung was captured in 2011 and is now being kept at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Lahad Datu, with one other female and a male Sumatran rhino. The sanctuary is managed by the non-governmental organisation Borneo Rhino Alliance contracted by the SWD.

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By Stephanie Lee, The Star, 19 April 2017

The Daily Express, 20 April 2017

Kota Kinabalu: A life-saving operation has now given a new lease of life to Puntung, one of the two remaining female Sumatran rhinos in the country.

Puntung started feeding within two hours after the operation ended but post-operation care is still needed to ensure her environment remains clean, stress free and medication for pain relief, said Borneo Rhino Alliance veterinarian Dr Zainal Z Zainuddin. The 20-year-old rhino had suffered from an untreatable sepsis since mid-March this year.

Two molar teeth and one premolar from the rhino’s upper jaw were extracted in the operation which lasted two hours and 20 minutes at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, about 48km from Lahad Datu, Wednesday.

According to the Wildlife Department, the success was due to the assistance rendered by experts from Thailand and Singapore.

“This was a remarkable and successful operation that came about as a result of global discussion and multi-national collaboration over the last two weeks,” said the department’s Director, Augustine Tuuga, in a statement here.

Thai veterinary dentist Dr Tum Chinkangsadarn carried out the extraction and Singapore Zoo senior veterinarian Abraham Mathew aided in the anaesthetics.

South Africa-based “Saving the Survivors” group, Dr Johan Marais and Dr Zoe Glyphis, initiated the planning, procedures and provided major financial support for the operation.

Augustine said the two vets did a fantastic job despite working together for the first time to save Puntung.

“We also had department vets in attendance and to assist, as well as from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo Rhino Alliance,” he said.

The procedure began around 7am with x-ray done on Puntung which was under sedation.

Puntung was then put under general anaesthesia for 110 minutes before work on the severe calcification on large molar, where bacteria had accumulated causing an abscess, was carried out.

The calcification had also loosened two adjacent teeth.

Borneo Rhino Alliance veterinarian Dr Zainal Z Zainuddin said they were relieved over the operation, saying the specialist vets involved had given Puntung a new lease of life.

Read the article in the Daily Express online

The Borneo Post, 20 April 2017

KOTA KINABALU: After a successful dental surgery, Puntung, one of the only two female Sumatran rhinos still alive in Malaysia is showing signs of improvement.

She has started eating and wildlife officials and rhino conservationists in the state breathed a big sigh of relief after the surgery by Thai veterinary dentist Dr Tum Chinkangsadarn, State Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said.

Puntung has been suffering since mid-March from an abscess inside her upper jaw that would not heal despite treatment.

Augustine said that Dr Tum extracted two molar teeth and one premolar from Puntung’s left upper jaw during the operation that lasted two hours and twenty minutes on Wednesday morning.

“This was a remarkable and successful operation that came about as a result of global discussion and multi-national collaboration over the past two weeks,” he said.

“Sabah thanks Dr Tum and the team who had not worked together before but who did a fantastic job. Dr Abraham Mathew, senior veterinarian from Singapore zoo helped with anaesthesia. Dr Johan Marais and Dr Zoe Glyphis of South Africa-based ‘Saving the Survivors’ initiated the planning, advised on procedures and provided major financial support to ensure that the team got together in Tabin.

“We had vets in attendance and assisting from my department as well as Wildlife Department and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo Rhino Alliance,” he said.

The procedure started at 7am with X-rays done under sedation. Then Puntung was put under general anaesthesia for 110 minutes.

Dr Tum noted severe calcification of one large molar,  which is where bacteria initially accumulated and led to the abscess. The calcification has also loosened two adjacent teeth.

Borneo Rhino Alliance veterinarian Dr Zainal Z Zainuddin said, “We are so relieved and very grateful to Dr Tum, ‘Saving the Survivors’ and the specialist vets who had given Puntung a new lease of life.

“Incredibly, she started feeding within two hours of the operation ending. But we are not done yet. There will be a period of post operation care which will mean trying to keep Puntung clean, stress-free and under medication including for pain relief,” Dr Zainal said.

To a question if the removal of Puntung’s molar would affect her survival as she won’t be able to chew properly, Augustine replied, “We hope for the best.”

Read the article on The Borneo Post online

Staff help out with caring for Puntung, the critically-ill Sumatran rhino. Pix courtesy of Sabah Wildlife Department.

By Olivia Miwil, New Straits Times, 19 April 2017

KOTA KINABALU: Puntung, one of three remaining Sumatran rhinos in Malaysia which was reported to be critically-ill last month, is recovering following surgery this morning.

Sabah Wildlife department director Augustine Tuuga said the female rhino underwent a two-and-a-half hour operation to extract two molars and a premolar from the upper left side of her jaw, which had been causing a severe abscess.

The surgery was performed by veterinary dentist Dr Tum Chinkangsadarn from Thailand, who found that the source of the abscess was a formation caused by an accumulation of bacteria on the severely-calcified molars.

The calcification also loosened two adjacent teeth.

For the past two weeks, Puntung had not shown any signs of recovery, despite being administered antibiotics.

“This was a remarkable and successful operation that came about as a result of global discussion and multi-national collaboration over the past two weeks.

“Sabah thanks Dr Tum and the team who did a fantastic job, as well as Dr Abraham Mathew, senior veterinarian at the Singapore Zoo, who had helped with anaesthesia,” Augustine said in a statement, adding that the department was also assisted and supported by South Africa’s ‘Saving the Survivors’, the Wildlife and National Parks department in Peninsular Malaysia and the Borneo Rhino Alliance (Bora).

He added that the procedure began at 7am, with X-rays taken under sedation for 110 minutes.

“She started feeding two hours after the operation.

“But we are not done yet, as there will be a period of post-operation care, by keeping Puntung clean, stress-free and medicated, including for pain relief,” Augustine added.

Puntung, along with female rhino, Iman, and male, Kertam, are being cared for by Bora at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Lahad Datu

Read the article on NST Online