Sumatran rhino gives birth in captivity again

CINCINNATI – A Sumatran rhinoceros gave birth to a second calf at the Cincinnati Zoo, becoming the first of the endangered species to produce two offspring in captivity, zoo officials said Friday.

Emi, a 14-year-old rhino on loan from the Indonesian government, and her as-yet unnamed calf were doing well, zoo spokesman Chad Yelton said. The rhino concluded a nearly 16-month-long pregnancy with the birth of the female calf, officials said.

“This is a historic birth,” said Terri Roth, vice president of animal sciences at the Cincinnati Zoo. “Because Sumatran rhinos are on the brink of extinction, this calf serves as a lifeline for a species clinging desperately to survival.”

Veterinarians planned to let Emi and her newborn bond before trying to weigh the calf, Yelton said.

In 2001, Emi became the first Sumatran rhino in 112 years to give birth to a calf in captivity. She delivered a 72.6-pound calf named Andalas, who now weighs more than 1,100 pounds, and was moved to the Los Angeles Zoo last year.

With only about 300 Sumatran rhinos known to exist in the wild, they are the most endangered of all rhinoceros species and among the most endangered mammals in the world. Only eight exist in captivity.

An estimated 70 percent of the Sumatran rhino population has been lost since 1985, mainly to poaching and loss of its tropical habitat in Malaysia and Indonesia.