KOTA KINABALU: The sick Sumatran rhinoceros called Iman has shown improvement as its food intake reaches 40 to 50 per cent of her normal eating habit.
Iman, a female rhino, suffers from uterus tumour and is being fed with at least 10 different types of plants to improve its appetite.
Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said six variety of plants were provided in its pen.
"It is also fed with about three to four kilogrammes of bananas and mangoes.
"The fruits are also used as a bait so that we can feed it with medicines," he said in a statement.
Augustine said the rhino was given mud packs twice a day to prevent cracked skins and ease its discomfort.
He said the sole of its hooves had been disintegrating since it came into the pen on the Dec 18, last year.
However, he said its recent bleeding was severe and this possibly was caused from the detached muscle tumour inside its uterus.
"We hope that the Tanexamic acid will stop the bleeding. The same treatment worked in its past three bleeding incidents.
“The main problem is that, with the massive bleeding in the uterus, cauterising the bleeding part might be the only way to stop it," he said.
However, Augustine said no known experts were available to perform the procedure.
He said said it was difficult to ascertain if the rhino would survive if the bleeding was not stopped soon.