Horny, horny horny: Sumatran rhino in rare pregnancy
Conservationists are celebrating an international love story that spells hope for one of the world’s most endangered mammals following confirmation of a Sumatran rhino pregnancy at a sanctuary for the creatures in Indonesia.
Sumatran rhino pregnancies are so rare that only three of the species have been born in captivity in the past 112 years, according to the International Rhino Foundation.
One of those three, a male called Andalas, born in Cincinnati Zoo in 2001, has now successfully mated with eight-year-old Ratu after being brought to Indonesia’s Way Kambas sanctuary from the United States in 2007.
Ratu was brought to the sanctuary after being chased from a forest on Sumatra by villagers who reportedly mistook her for a mythical monster and tried to kill her.
The International Rhino Foundation said the successful mating followed months of gradual introduction by scent, sound, sight, and finally, physical proximity, ultimately resulting in the pregnancy.
“A combination of sound science, international collaboration among government, non-profits, and zoos, as well as timing and personal chemistry, has led to this groundbreaking event,” said Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation.
“Sumatran rhino numbers have decreased by more than 50 percent over the last 15 years in the wild. Every individual counts, and the captive population represents not only an ‘insurance policy’ for the wild population, but also a means to study the basic biology of the species, which we must understand in order to save them.”
There are estimated to be only about 200 Sumatran rhinos still living in the wild, with 180 of those in Indonesia and 20 in Malaysia. The creatures are solitary and aggressive animals which come together rarely to mate.
Widodo Ramono of the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia said that Andalas and Ratu’s affair had not been a case of love at first sight.
“At the beginning, we were quite pessimistic as Andalas was aggressive and unfriendly towards the female rhinos,” he said. “He chased and fought Ratu and the other females and suffered quite serious wounds that needed at least a month to heal. But suddenly on November 16, Andalas softened his attitude towards Ratu and he tried to mate with her for the first time, but he didn’t do it properly.”
Ramono said the pair had successfully mated at the fourth attempt. The calf is due to be born in May 2011 and ultrasound pictures have been published on the IRF website.
