KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew said she fears the country would be losing the last Sumatran rhinoceros, known as Iman, following her worsening health condition.
Christina, who is also Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said Iman’s level of health was confirmed by the medical team headed by Dr Zainal Zahari Zainuddin in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve.
“A growth in Iman’s uterus is becoming increasingly bigger since it was detected in March, 2014 while effort to get rid of it poses a very high risk.
‘’Her weight has also dropped to 476 kg because her diet is not normal and she has to be given supplementary food to meet her health needs,’’ she told a media conference in the compound of the Sabah State Assembly today.
She said the health condition of the female rhinoceros reminded her of Puntong (Sumatran Rhinoceros) which had to be euthanised after the rapid spread of squamous cancer cells which caused her great and prolonged suffering.
At the same time, Christina said the state government would speed up the legal process with Indonesia to conduct in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
‘’It will involve the process of extracting Iman’s eggs to be fertilised with a sumatran rhinoceros’s sperm in Indonesia,’’ she added. - Bernama
