(US-Indonesia): US-born rhino heads to Indonesia

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Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6375951.stm

 

US-born rhino heads to Indonesia

 

A rare rhinoceros bred at a US zoo has made a long journey to

Indonesia as part of international efforts to save the species from

extinction.

 

Andalas, the only Sumatran rhino bred in captivity in more than a

century, joins two females who live in a national park on the island

of Sumatra.

 

He was flown across the Pacific and arrived in Indonesia on Wednesday.

 

The Sumatran rhino is the world's most endangered rhino species with

fewer than 300 thought to exist in the wild.

 

Andalas, born on 13 September 2001 at Cincinnati Zoo and then

transferred to Los Angeles Zoo, was the first Sumatran rhinoceros to

be bred in captivity since 1889.

 

" Andalas's journey to Indonesia is vital to the future of Sumatran

rhinos, " LA Zoo director John Lewis said in a statement on the zoo's

website.

 

" This breeding programme is just one example of the extent zoos will

go to in order to save a species from extinction, " he said.

 

Andalas, called after the original name for Sumatra, will join two

female rhinos, Rosa and Ratu, at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in the

Way Kambas National Park in the south-east of the island.

 

He travelled to Indonesia with LA Zoo's chief vet and his keeper.

 

After arriving in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, he was to be taken

by land to the national park, a road journey of about 12 hours.

 

The Sumatran rhino is the smallest and hairiest as well as the rarest

of the rhino species.

 

There are thought to be only about 300 left in isolated areas in

Malaysia and Indonesia.

 

The rhino population has declined by some 70% over the past two decades.

 

The main cause is poaching due to the demand for their horns, which

are used in some traditional Asian medicines.