A critically endangered Sumatran rhino was born in Indonesia's western island of Sumatra over the weekend, reports the AP, the second Sumatran rhino born in the country this year and a welcome addition to a species that currently numbers fewer than 50 animals. A female named Delilah gave birth to a 55-pound male calf at a sanctuary for Sumatran rhinos in Way Kambas National Park in Lampung province. The calf is fathered by a male named Harapan, who was born at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2006. He was the last Sumatran rhino in the world to be repatriated to Indonesia, meaning that the entire population of Sumatran rhinos is now in Indonesia.
Most of the remaining rhinos live on Sumatra, several of them in captivity. They are threatened by destruction of tropical forest habitat and poachers who kill them for their horns. A conservation guard found Delilah with the newborn male calf next to her on Saturday morning, 10 days earlier than the estimated date of delivery. Delilah and her baby are in good condition as the calf is now able to stand upright and walk. Not long after he was discovered, he was able to breastfeed in a standing position, said a statement from Indonesia's Environment and Forestry Ministry.
The Sumatran rhino is legally protected in Indonesia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species describes the Sumatran rhinos as critically endangered: the population is declining and only about 30 mature animals remain. The yet-to-be-named calf is the first successful delivery from Delilah, a 7-year-old female who was born in an Indonesian sanctuary in 2016. Sumatran rhinos typically have a life expectancy of 35 to 40 years, according to the WWF conservation group. (More Sumatran rhino stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
