2nd carcass of endangered rhino found in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Authorities have recovered the carcass of a Javan Rhinoceros, world's most endangered mammal, in a national park in Indonesia, the second found dead in less than a month, a conservationist said Tuesday.

The remains were discovered Monday in Ujung Kulon National Park on Java island, said Widodo Ramono, head of the Indonesian Rhino Foundation. The exact cause of the death will be investigated, but like the first carcass retrieved May 20, there were no indications that poachers were involved, Ramono said.

"It seems that it died naturally, because there were no signs of it being poisoned or killed. Its horn is still intact," he said.

The animal was believed to be around 30 years old. The life span of the mammals, of which there are an estimated 45 to 60 left in the world, is 30-45 years.

He described the deaths as a serious blow to efforts to conserve the world's smallest rhino species.

"The two deaths meant 4 percent of the estimated number of the rhino population, whereas the government has set a growth (rate of) 3 percent," Ramono said.

Workers will be collecting footage from 58 camera-traps in the park, about 90 miles (144 kilometers) southwest of Jakarta, this month to try to get a better estimate of the number of rhinos remaining, Ramono said.