The sight of a newborn calf gives hope to the world’s most endangered rhinoceros

Here’s some good news to close out the work week. On Friday, government officials in Indonesia announced the arrival of a new Javan rhino calf within its borders—a female named Iris. Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) they are the most endangered species of rhinoceros in the world.

Iris was actually spotted earlier this May in Ujung Kulon National Park, thanks to an ongoing effort by the government’s Department of Environment and Forestry to monitor the world’s only remaining Javan rhinos using camera traps. He was filmed walking with his mother, Putri. Since Putri has not been seen with a calf so far, it is possible that Iris is her first child. Based on the photos, Iris was considered to be three to five months old at the time, and she appeared to be in good health.

Javan rhinos are small compared to their cousins, although the smallest adults can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Only male Javan rhinos have a (single) horn, which is smaller than the horns seen in other species. About 80 Javan rhinos are estimated to exist today, making them the most endangered of the five living rhinoceros species in the world. After the death of the last Javan rhino in Vietnam in 2009, all such rhinos today are thought to live in Ujung Kulon National Park, located on the western edge of Java. So any successful Javan rhino birth is cause for celebration.

Although Iris appears to be doing well, and the Javan rhinos in the park are officially protected by the government, the animals still face a dangerous life. Since last year, Indonesian authorities have arrested at least six suspected poachers accused of killing 26 Javan rhinos, although it is unclear how the poaching has affected the community. In addition to poaching, rhinos are vulnerable to disease, predators and natural disasters. Their small population numbers make them susceptible to genetic diseases caused by inbreeding.

“For that reason, we and all the parties that help in the conservation efforts of the Javan rhinos must not be careless and we must always be on the lookout for any threats that may appear,” Ardi Andono, the head of Ujung Kulon National Park, told Antara, the news agency of Indonesia.

Iris appears to be the third new Javan rhino calf to be spotted this year. In April, Ujung Kulon National Park officials publicly announced that they had previously seen a calf. Officials could not determine the gender of the calf, although they estimated it to be between three and five months old. This calf is officially designated ID.093.2024, and Iris is assigned ID.094.2024. This observation follows reports of new calves in 2022 and 2023.