Rare Sumatran rhinoceros gives birth
The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia has welcomed a new addition. The Sanctuary announced the arrival of only the fourth recorded birth of a Sumatran Rhino, one of the world’s most endangered species, in captivity and the first in 123 years.
Ratu and her male calf are both very well and a spokesman for Indonesia’s forest ministry, Masyhud, said Ratu’s labour had gone “smoothly and naturally”. This is her third pregnancy after the previous two ended up in miscarriages.
Masyhud continued: "It's really a big present for the Sumatran rhino breeding efforts as we know that this is a very rare species which have some difficulties in their reproduction."
On Friday, the US-based International Rhino Foundation said that a veterinary team would harvest Ratu's placental cells, which could be used to generate stem cells. Stem cells had the potential to be useful for many purposes in the near future, including curing diseases and helping promote reproduction.
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