Rarest land mammal

The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), a solitary, single-horned species, is considered to be the world's rarest large mammal. Once widely distributed in south-east Asia, it has declined to around 60 animals confined to the Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia.

The cause of population decline is mainly attributable to the excessive demand for rhino horn and other products for Chinese and allied medicine system. The bulk of the remaining population occurs as a single population within a national park and the population size is probably limited to the effective carrying capacity of the area (54-60 animals). One danger to this population comes from disease. In addition, such a small population faces a constant threat from poachers. - IUCN 2002