Critically Endangered Rhino Born at Indonesian National Park
A Sumatran rhino named Delilah gave birth to a male calf at a sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park in Indonesia’s Lampung province, officials from the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry announced on November 25.
Footage posted by the ministry on Monday shows the little rhino standing close by its mother and taking wobbly steps.
“Delilah’s first birth took place normally in the forest without the help of a doctor. The calf can now stand upright and walk. Even when it was first discovered, the calf was able to nurse in a standing position,” the announcement read.
According to the International Rhino Federation, Delilah was the second rhino ever to be born at the park and was now the first captive-born Sumatran rhino to give birth, adding that the recent birth was “a significant milestone for the breeding program.”
The calf was 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, according to reports.
There are thought to be fewer than 50 of the animals left in the wild. Credit: Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry via Storyful
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