Javan Rhinos, Krakatoa and the Tsunami

The Javan rhinoceros, one of the world’s most endangered mammals, has survived in a landscape shaped by volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and tectonic change. Ujung Kulon National Park is the species’ last refuge, but it lies directly alongside the volcanic and tectonic activity of the Sunda Strait.

That history raises a central question: how did the rhinos survive Krakatoa’s devastating 1883 eruption, and can that survival guarantee their safety during future disasters? Historical research indicates that the animals did not suddenly return after the eruption. Reports recorded rhinos in Ujung Kulon before 1883, and sightings continued afterward. Research by van Strien and Rookmaaker found no evidence that the eruption wiped out the entire population. For much of the period through 1949, the recorded population stood at roughly 40 to 50 animals.

That evidence challenges the long-standing idea that Krakatoa “saved” the Javan rhinoceros by destroying human habitat and creating new forest. The eruption was indeed a major ecological disturbance. Ash, changes in the ground and post-eruption ecological succession altered vegetation and produced a different mosaic of habitats across Ujung Kulon.

But saying Krakatoa saved the rhinos oversimplifies the history. The animals already lived in the area before the eruption. A more accurate explanation is that Krakatoa changed the landscape, while ecological succession, Ujung Kulon’s remoteness and later protection helped maintain conditions in which the population could survive.

The rhinos also do not require a uniform forest. Studies of their movements and habitat selection show that they use scrubland, wetlands, relatively open areas, lowlands, places near rivers and beaches, wallows and openings in vegetation. Other research has linked habitat preferences to soil conditions, salinity and distance from the coast. Ujung Kulon’s ecological history therefore shows both the species’ ability to live through major landscape change and the limits of assuming that past survival guarantees safety from future disasters.