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| Location: |
Asia - South East Asia - Indonesia - Java |
| Subject: |
Distribution - Records |
| Species: |
Javan Rhino |
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Island Nousakambang-an, off Java's south coast. Rhinoceroses have settled on the island, but if we are to believe the story of the local people who have lived on the island for seventy years, it appears that there is only one of these dangerous animals on the island, which the people perceive as holy, and which has received the name kerto dupo, after a certain local person, who died when looking for bird's nests and whose soal would have entered the rhinoceros. This animal, one of the larger species, would be so tame, that it often sleeps in the smaller kampongs and watches the pulverizing of rice, while eating the dedak or rice husks [zemelen] thrown at him. He does not attack people, althoiugh he is dangerous to horses, cows and sheep, and destroys small gardens and babana plantations.
This story of the rhinoceros has proved to be true. In 1834 this animal was killed by Gelpke because it destroyed the gardens. The head is in the museum of natural history in Batavia. No other rhinoceros has been seen since.
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Schets van het eiland Nousakambang-an
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