Malaysia’s last surviving male Sumatran rhino dies

Malaysia's last surviving male Sumatran rhino died Monday, wildlife officials said, leaving behind only one female in the country and pushing the critically-endangered species closer to extinction.

The rhino, named Tam, was about 30 years old and lived at a wildlife reserve in Sabah state on Borneo island since his capture in 2008, Christina Liew, state minister for tourism, culture and environment, said in a statement.

Once found as far away as eastern India and throughout Malaysia, the Sumatran rhino has been almost wiped out, with fewer than 80 left, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Only a handful of the creatures remain in the wilds of Indonesia.

The cause of the animal's death was not immediately clear, but previous media reports have suggested it was suffering from kidney and liver problems.

Their isolation, caused by habitat loss and poaching, means they rarely breed and may go extinct in a matter of decades, according to conservation group International Rhino Foundation.

Tam's death puts pressure on an ongoing effort for conservationists hoping to use in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques to create offspring from Malaysia's last female Sumatran rhino, Iman, and an Indonesian male.

Tuuga said there were problems with Iman's uterus and that she was incapable of becoming pregnant, but was still able to produce eggs.

"We just have to look after the last remaining rhino. That's all we can do, and try if possible to work with Indonesia," he said.