“Endangered Sumatran Rhino Calf Born, Offering Hope for Species’ Survival in Indonesia.”
A critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros calf was recently born in Indonesia’s Way Kambas National Park. This marks the third successful pairing between a local female rhino named Ratu and Andalas, formerly of Ohio’s Cincinnati Zoo. The female calf, yet to be named, arrived on a Saturday, bringing hope to a species threatened by illegal poaching and habitat loss.
Sumatran rhinos, once abundant across Southeast Asia, now number fewer than 80 in fragmented Indonesian regions. The newborn calf, weighing approximately 27 kilograms (60 pounds), was covered in black hair and appeared alert next to her mother, Ratu. Within 45 minutes of her birth, the calf was standing, and within four hours, she began nursing. These rhinos are the world’s smallest, standing at 4 to 5 feet tall with an average body length of 8.2 feet and distinctive long hair.
They mainly inhabit dense tropical forests on Sumatra and are solitary creatures, giving birth to one calf every three to four years after a 15 to 16-month gestation period. As their habitat shrinks due to deforestation, conservationists are increasingly concerned about their survival.
The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary plays a crucial role in the species’ conservation efforts, having produced three calves and aiming to create an insurance population. Sadly, neighboring Malaysia declared the species locally extinct in 2019, with the last surviving male rhino passing away due to organ failure, and a female succumbing to cancer.
