Borneo Post Online, 4 June 2017

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has lost Puntung, the Sumatran Rhino who touched the hearts of many.

Sabah Wildlife Department Director Augustine Tuuga said Puntung was euthanised this morning at Tabin Wildlife Reserve.

A week ago, Augustine broke the news that Puntung could no longer breathe through her left nostril and was no longer able to vocalise, was in pain and her condition was declining fast due to squamous cell cancer.

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

Initially captured on Dec 18, 2011, the rhino attracted global attention in April 2017 through dental surgery performed by a multi-national team in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve.

She was one of the last three Sumatran rhinos in the country; now, they are only two left.

Augustine in a statement issued to the media said that Puntung’s keepers Wilson Kuntil, Hassan Sani and Samad Gubin had been sleeping for the past week with Puntung in her forest paddock, to ensure that she was under 24-hour observation.

They were very attuned to subtle changes in her behaviour and reported periodic bleeding from the nostrils, he said.

“The carcinoma had been growing rapidly in size and there were clear signs that Puntung was experiencing significant breathing difficulties. In consultation with our rhino reproduction advisers at Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, and others, the decision was taken to end her growing discomfort, and bring forward the planned date of the procedure.

“Previously, we planned to euthanise her on June 15. In pursuit of the aim to allow Puntung to contribute to the survival of her species, her ovaries were rushed to the Agro-Biotechnology Institute, Serdang,” added Augustine.

Simultaneously, Indonesian reproductive specialist Professor Arief Boediono was flown in from Jakarta, ready to recover any egg cells that might be present.

“If any oocytes can be retrieved and matured, frozen sperm from the male rhino Tam
will be thawed for intracytoplasmic sperm injection by Professor Arief. We will know the outcome within a few days,” Augustine said.

In addition, tissue samples from Puntung are being provided to Malaysian institutions so that her genome can be preserved through cell cultures.

Other keepers who have attended to Puntung in recent months are Rasaman Jaya, Marikus Suyat, Justine Sagunting, Joseph Stimon, Ronald Jummy, Davidson Kuntil and Alvin Erut, with Dr Zainal Zahari Zainuddin in charge.

Read the full article online

By Christina Nunez, National Geographic, June 4, 2017

A Sumatran rhino that symbolized the power of social media to potentially save wildlife was euthanized Sunday in Malaysia. Puntung, a 20-year-old female, succumbed to cancer. She was one of three remaining Sumatran rhinos in the country.

“Today is one of the saddest days we’ve ever faced. As of this morning, Puntung’s suffering has come to an end,” said a Facebook post from the group Borneo Rhino Alliance, which had been working to save her. “She was euthanized just past dawn, ending her battle against squamous cell cancer.”

The critically endangered species often falls victim to hunters and poachers, many driven by a market based on false beliefs about the horn’s efficacy as a health supplement. The hunting threat, combined with a decline in habitat and dwindling opportunities to breed, has brought the world’s population below 100 Sumatran rhinos in total.

But it later became clear that the abscess was a symptom of the cancer that ultimately overtook Puntung. The Borneo Rhino Alliance said in late May that she could no longer breathe through her left nostril, could no longer make sounds, and was in pain. The Malaysian government authorized the decision to put her down.
Puntung, whose name translates to “stub,” lacked a front left foot, according to the alliance, which theorized she had lost it to a hunter’s snare when she was small. Announcing her death Sunday, the group said, “We’ll always remember her as a fighter.”

Read the full article and links on National Geographic
 

By Avila Geraldine, NST Online
Puntung, one of Malaysia’s last surviving Sumatran rhinos, is now at death’s door. The female rhino has been diagnosed with squamous cell cancer, which has been spreading rapidly over the last few weeks. (Latest photo of Puntung courtesy of Sabah Wildlife Department)

KOTA KINABALU: Puntung, one of Malaysia’s last surviving Sumatran rhinos, is now at death’s door.

The female rhino has been diagnosed with squamous cell cancer, which has been spreading rapidly over the last few weeks.

Specialists from various countries have all delivered the same devastating verdict: with or without treatment, the cancer will be fatal for the 25-year-old rhino.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga, announcing this, said that as of today, Puntung can no longer breathe through her left nostril.

“She can also no longer vocalise. She is in pain and her condition is declining fast.

“Other than administering painkillers, there is nothing more anyone can do,” he said.

Tuuga said the department has been left with little choice but to make a very difficult decision.

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

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

The euthanasia will be done on June 15.

In April, Puntung underwent an operation to extract two molars and a premolar from the upper left side of her jaw, which had been causing 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.

Tuuga said it turned out that the swelling on Puntung’s left cheek that alerted them to the infected tooth root had a more serious origin.

“After the surgery, the swelling progressed, and two subsequent biopsies revealed squamous cell carcinoma,” explained Tuuga.

Sabah is home to only three out of the last few critically-endangered Sumatran rhinos. The remaining numbers are in Indonesia.

Puntung, another female rhino Iman, and male Kertam, are being cared by a non-governmental organisation, Borneo Rhino Alliance, at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu.

Puntung was captured in 2011. It was subsequently established that she was the last remaining wild rhino in the Reserve.

The loss of Puntung would prove to be a catastrophic loss to the future of the species as at 25-years-old, she still has a few years of egg production left to be used for in-vitro fertilisation.

Read the article on NST online

It is with great sadness that we make this announcement.

Puntung is dying of cancer.

The swelling on Puntung’s left cheek that alerted us to the infected tooth root had a more serious origin. The cancer has been spreading rapidly over the past few weeks. Specialists from several countries concur that it will be fatal, with or without treatment.

As of today, Puntung can no longer breathe through her left nostril, she can no longer vocalise, she is in pain and her condition is declining fast. Other than administering painkillers, there is nothing more anyone can do. Accordingly, the government has authorized euthanasia. This was a very difficult decision to make, but this is the best out of a very small number of unpleasant choices.

This is devastating news for all of those who have been involved in Puntung’s life over the past ten years, from those in SOS Rhino who monitored her wild in the Tabin forests since 2007, those who captured her in 2011, to those who cared for daily and still care for her right up to now.

We thank the many people – from our kind sponsors, to our staff who’re providing intensive care to her, and to all of you – who heartened us with their good wishes in April and financial support for the dental surgery and follow-up work.

We have kept in close touch with experts in Europe, South Africa and Thailand, and there is no doubt in our minds that any form of conventional treatment would just prolong her agony. We are also making preparations to try to recover eggs or oocytes from Puntung. With that, she may yet be able to contribute to the survival of her species.

Till then, we will provide her the very best of care, and help to minimize her suffering. By making her as comfortable as possible, we hope to ease the great pain we feel as well.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — Puntung, one of Malaysia’s last three Sumatran rhinoceros’ impending euthanasia due to skin cancer should be a wake-up call to ramp up conservation efforts of the species as it could well go extinct within the next ten years, groups have said.

In a statement, WWF Malaysia pointed out that the country is now left with only one female Sumatran rhinoceros and one male rhinoceros, Iman, and that the only other country for the species is neighbouring Indonesia — where there are less than 100 of them scattered in small, isolated groups in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

“If we want to reverse this trend, then the focus of Sumatran rhinoceros conservation should be on rescuing all remaining wild individuals for management in excellent fenced facilities, increasing the number of births, and facilitating the movement of the individuals and gametes among facilities as a population management tool.

“In summary there should be a single programme with the sole goal of making baby Sumatran rhinos,” WWF Malaysia said.

It suggested the use of advanced reproductive technology (ART), as advocated by Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA) and being attempted with renowned international reproductive scientists as a means for conservation of the species.

“Additionally, the WWF Network Executive Team (NET) has mandated the creation of a Sumatran rhino working group, comprising of representatives from WWF-Indonesia and partner offices (including WWF-US, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar) with the view of pushing the Sumatran rhino conservation to the top of the agenda for the relevant governments, and to seek a common approach and agreements among all NGOs working on Sumatran rhino conservation.

“We therefore call upon the governments of Malaysia and Indonesia, and all Sumatran rhinoceros conservation organisations, to work together as a dedicated team. Let Puntung’s passing be the final wake-up call we desperately need for an international collaboration to finally take place. Together, anything is possible.”

In a separate statement, Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) Chairman Tun Musa Hitam said that those related to the conservation efforts should reflect on the present situation.

“After spending so much time and funding to conserve the Sumatran rhinoceros since 2009, I regret that it has come to this and let this be a lesson to all those related to the efforts as well as the world at large.

“This is a very sad development. Future generations would certainly blame us for failing to save this species from extinction,” Tun said.

From 2009 to February this year, YSD had spent RM13.8 million towards conserving the Sumatran rhinoceros, with funds channelled towards an artificial reproductive technology (ART) programme to help breed the Sumatran rhinoceros and help save the species from extinction.

Since 2009, YSD has committed RM131 million towards the protection of high conservation value ecosystems, vulnerable and endangered species as well as initiatives promoting the preservation of the environment and biodiversity.

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.

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.

The sanctuary had planned to mate her with another captured male rhino, Tam, in a managed facility, but then found she had cysts in her uterus that made her unable to bear a pregnancy.

However, the sanctuary was reported to be working on in vitro fertilisation to breed more rhinos and to keep the species from becoming extinct altogether.

Read the article on Malay Mail Online