The Sumatran rhino is “critically endangered” according to the ICUN Red List because poaching -primarily to obtain their horns- has severely depleted the rhino population making it difficult for them to successfully breed in the wild. It is estimated that less than two hundred Sumatran rhinos remain in Southeast Asia and most live in Indonesia’s national parks where they can be protected and still live in a natural habitat. 

The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) in Kambas Way National Park, Indonesia has a handful of rhinos thanks to conservation efforts from the International Rhino Foundation, the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia and Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry.

One of the four rhinos that call the sanctuary home is a wild rhino, who narrowly escaped death at the hands of villagers who mistook her for a pig, named Ratu. She has just completed the eleventh month of her third pregnancy after unfortunately suffering two miscarriages. Scientists are hoping she will carry this baby to term and help increase the Sumatran rhino population, one of the primary goals of SRS. Ratu has five or six months more to go and she will continue to receive the hormone supplements that helped her conceive until she delivers.

“We’ve got fingers crossed that everything will continue to go well and that Ratu will deliver a healthy baby sometime in late spring or early summer. This is truly a dedicated team effort, not just with regard to managing a critical pregnancy, but also in terms of the round-the-clock effort to protect Indonesia’s last remaining wild Sumatran rhinos,” Dr. Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation said. “We couldn’t hope to accomplish either without the generous support we receive from concerned people all over the world.”

The pregnancy was also a global effort. Andalas, the Sumatran rhino who bred with Ratu, was born at the Cincinnati Zoo. His arrival in 2001 marked the first time in over one hundred years a Sumatran rhino was born in captivity. When he was two years old he traded Ohio winters for sunny Southern California and in 2007 after calling the Los Angeles Zoo home he was sent to the sanctuary.

Ratu and Andalas both have their own Facebook pages and have been quiet about this most recent pregnancy.  There hasn’t been any status updates since 2010 when Andalas boasted about his new found ability to forage for food on his own after relying on zookeepers for most of his life. Ratu made a comment about her “wild” temperament which has led sanctuary workers to describe her as “a little difficult.” Her relationship status is listed as “It’s complicated” which makes perfect sense seeing as Andalas was brought to the SRS to be the “primary breeding male.” Hopefully, the arrival of Ratu’s calf will be uncomplicated unlike her relationship with Andalas.