After two previous sightings this year, the head of the facility announced on Friday that a fresh Javan rhino baby had been discovered in an Indonesian national park, adding to the optimism surrounding one of the most endangered creatures in the world.
The female calf, estimated to be three to five months old, was discovered in camera trap footage captured in May at Java’s Ujung Kulon National Park. The environment and forestry ministry of Indonesia only revealed the discovery on Thursday.
The head of the park, Ardi Andono, reported seeing the creature, called Iris, strolling beside her mother.
“This is positive news for the wider community that the Javan rhino is still sustainable,” Ardi told AFP Friday.
The park official said Iris, the third calf identified this year, was found after authorities deployed more than 100 camera traps across the national park in February.
“We always use the assumption that every location has the same potential… to obtain the rhinos’ photos,” said Ardi.
He said two more calves were spotted earlier this year at the park, which is the only habitat left for the critically endangered animal.
Authorities estimate that just 82 Javan rhinos remain within the 120,000-hectare sanctuary of verdant rainforest and freshwater streams, following years of population collapse.
Once found in the hundreds throughout Southeast Asia, rhinos are known for their loose skin folds that give them the appearance of armour plating. However, because to widespread poaching and human encroachment, rhino populations have drastically declined.
After police discovered a poaching gang that claimed to have killed 26 rhinos since 2018, activists have contested official estimates.
