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JAKARTA (AFP) – Two extremely rare Javan rhino calves have been spotted in an Indonesian national park, raising hopes for the future of one of the world’s most threatened mammals.
The rhino calves, a female named Helen and a male named Luther, were spotted with their mothers in images taken from nearly 100 camera traps installed in Ujung Kulon National Park between March and August, authorities said in a statement Sunday. of September).
At the westernmost tip of Java in Banten province, Ujung Kulon is the last remaining wild habitat for Javanese rhinos.
After years of population decline, the arrival of the new calves brings the total number of rare mammals to 74.
The sanctuary comprises some 5,100ha of lush rainforest and freshwater streams.
The Indonesian government has been surveying other areas on the islands of Java and Sumatra to relocate rhinos from the danger of Mount Krakatau, an active volcano not far from the national park.
“These births bring great hope for the continuation of the life of the critically endangered special Javanese rhinoceros,” said Mr. Wiratno, a senior official at the Ministry of the Environment.
Javanese rhinos have loose folds of skin that give them the appearance of wearing armor.
They were once numbered in the thousands throughout Southeast Asia, but have been hit hard by rampant poaching and human encroachment on their habitats.
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