Sad news for Rhino-lovers: Ratu, a pregnant Sumatran Rhino in the care of Indonesia’s Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary suffered a miscarriage in April, crushing the hopes of conservationists. Once found throughout southeast Asia, today’s Endangered All-Star is now limited to six pockets on Borneo, Sumatra, and peninsular Malaysia. With only 200 left in the wild—its population cut in half over the past year by illegal poaching—every pregnancy is precious, every infant lost a disaster. The event is hardly a surprise, however. A dedicated captive-breeding program launched in the 1980s proved disappointing, with most individuals dying; the program did not produce a live infant until 2000.
The decline is all the more tragic because the Sumatran Rhino, judging by the rare accounts of those who have seen it, is a tremendously engaging creature, producing constant vocalizations: a series of whistles and yelps that have been compared to whale songs. Supporters include SOS Rhino and the International Rhino Foundation: You can Adopt-a-Rhino at IRF to help keep rhinos like Ratu alive.
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