It was news that rhino conservationists had long feared. Indonesian media are reporting that a poaching ring allegedly killed seven Javan rhinos (Rhinoceros sondaicus), and possibly more, from 2019-2023, potentially wiping out 10% of the entire global population of the critically endangered species. Ardi Andono, the head of the government agency that runs Ujung Kulon National Park, told local media his office had not yet confirmed how many rhinos were killed, pending ongoing investigation of body parts seized from the sole suspect arrested to date. The information came to light as the suspect, Sunendi, was indicted earlier this month in Pandeglang District Court, raising questions about the security — or lack thereof — in Ujung Kulon National Park, the last place on Earth home to Javan rhinos. Sunendi has been charged with poaching, illegal possession of firearms, and the theft of four camera traps. Male Javan rhino calf named Luther with his mother in 2020. Image courtesy of Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry. According to the indictment, Sunendi was arrested in November 2023 after he was pictured by a camera trap inside the park in April that year. The arrest was part of a series of joint raids by police and enforcement officers from the environment ministry. Prosecutors allege he killed at least seven rhinos between 2019 and 2023, entering Ujung Kulon National Park from the village of Rancapinang at the southern boundary of the park. Police are still searching for three other suspects alleged to be part of…This article was originally published on Mongabay