Today the world mourns the loss of Lonesome George, a Pinta Island Tortoise. He was the only known remaining tortoise of his kind and the subspecies is now officially extinct. He was an estimated 100 years old though no one knows for sure Lonesome George’s exact age but he was found in 1972 on Pinta, an island in the Galapagos Archipelago.

According to members of the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS), Lonesome George was discovered this morning in his pen dead by Fausto Llerena, the tortoise’s long-term caretaker. Lonesome George is awaiting a necropsy to determine the cause of death.

In a statement today Edwin Naula, the Director of the GNPS, said, “This July, the GNPS is convening an international workshop to focus on management strategies for the restoration of tortoise populations during the next ten years. The workshop will be held in honor of Lonesome George.“

On a happier note about animal conservation: Ratu Rhino has given birth to a baby boy after a more than a year long pregnancy- a Sumatran rhino’s term is an average of 16 to 18 months.

Last February we reported that officials at The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) in Kambas Way National Park were keeping their fingers crossed for Ratu, a Sumatran rhino a critically endangered species according to ICUN, to deliver a child. A young male bred in captivity in America named Andalas arrived at SRS in 2001 to be a mate for Ratu.

An announcement was released via the International Rhino Foundation’s website and  this morning with a post on Ratu’s Facebook page:

“On Saturday, I gave birth to a baby boy, who we named Andatu. His name is a combination of his dad’s, Andalas Rhino and my own, but it also means “Gift from God”. I like it!

 Andatu was born shortly after midnight and weighed somewhere between 60 to 70 pounds, which is an average birth weight for Sumatran rhinos. The ‘little’ guy is already a media celebrity, so I guess I should prepare for a lot of photos and interviews in the days ahead!”

The baby is described as “adorable” and more importantly healthy. He is the first Sumatran rhino born in an Indonesian facility and the first birth in an Asian facility in 124 years. He joins a dwindling group of less than 200 rhinos in Indonesia and Malaysia.

“We are overjoyed that Ratu delivered a healthy calf, and cautiously optimistic that the calf will continue to thrive,” said Dr. Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation.

The world is brokenhearted over the death of Lonesome George and looks to the future as they celebrate the birth of a rhino.