Early Thursday morning, the International Rhino Foundation welcomed a 45-pound Sumatran rhino calf into its Indonesia sanctuary.
A rare baby rhino from a critically endangered species has been born in Indonesia, thanks to the continuous efforts of rescuers to repopulate the species.
Early Thursday morning, the International Rhino Foundation welcomed a 45-pound Sumatran rhino calf into its Way Kambas National Park sanctuary.
“We are overjoyed that Ratu delivered a healthy calf," IRF Executive Director Dr. Susie Ellis said in a statement. “She’s absolutely adorable, and we haven’t stopped smiling since the moment we were sure she was alive and healthy."
Read: Did Drunken Vandals Kill One of the World's Rarest Fish?
The female calf, who was delivered without complications, is the second young of 14-year-old Ratu at the Indonesian sanctuary, where Ratu was also born.
Like the newborn's brother Andatu, who made history in 2012 by being the first rhino born in Indonesian captivity in more than 100 years, the baby calf was born to Ratu and a male Sumatran rhino born in the Cincinnati Zoo.
To ensure Ratu was brought to full term, the IRF said she was given a hormone therapy commonly prescribed to pregnant rhinos.
The IRF said they were "cautiously optimistic" about the birth, and said the second birth at their sanctuary proves the level of veterinary expertise in Indonesia.
"While one birth does not save the species, it’s one more Sumatran rhino on Earth,” Ellis said.
Read: Abandoned Baby Rhino Who Was So Sick He Couldn't Walk Makes a Full Recovery
According to the IRF, Sumatran rhinos are considered to be critically endangered, as there are less than 100 left.
The species has long been victimized to habitat loss and poachers, who hunt the rhinos for their horns, coveted in some countries as traditional medicine or ornaments, according to ABC.
Watch: Adorable Baby Rhino Orphans are Loving Life After Being Saved
