Save the Rhino International
A rare Sumatran rhinoceros, the first born in captivity in more than 100 years, arrived in the country of his ancestors on Tuesday as part of an international breeding programme.
Andalas had set off from the Cincinnati Zoo for the 40-hour journey that took him via Amsterdam to the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, where he landed on Tuesday evening. He was then transported to a lorry which set off to the western end of Java, from where a ferry was scheduled to take the rhino on to Sumatra for an 8-10 hour drive to the sanctuary. The hairy Sumatran rhino is the smallest of the rhino species but can still weigh from 1,300 to 1,800 pounds (600 to 800 kg), so transporting Andalas has not been a simple task. Despite this, wildlife officials overseeing his journey seemed happy that he was in good health.
Andalas, born in the Cincinnati Zoo in September 2001, is the first Sumatran rhino born in captivity in 112 years. There are only about 300 Sumatran, or hairy, rhinos still surviving in the wild in southeast Asia. The Javan rhino is the rarest species, with only around 60 individuals remaining. “But Sumatran rhinos are arguably even more critically endangered than their rarer cousins, due to habitat loss and their relative accessibility to poachers” said Henry French of Save the Rhino International.
Save the Rhino supports the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park that Andalas will now call home. The sanctuary provides a home for Sumatran rhinos found in threatening or unviable situations, and is a starting point for an international programme to form a sustainable population of captive Sumatran rhinos. One of the females to whom Andalas will be introduced to in the sanctuary is Rosa, who was found exhausted and infected by cattle parasites in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. In November she celebrated the anniversary of her arrival, with a birthday cake being presented to her by staff.