Rhino horns are made of keratin, the same material found in your hair and fingernails.
Rhinos Research
The work of one scientist named Terri Roth showed promise. Roth is the vice president of conservation and science at the Cincinnati Zoo. She and her team developed special techniques and ways of handling the rhinos that made their efforts more successful. In 2001, a captive rhino named Emi gave birth to a calf. They named him Andalas—an old Indonesian word meaning “Sumatra.” Andalas became the first Sumatran rhino born in captivity in 112 years.
Today, the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary
is home to seven rhinos—three males and four females. The new rhino, named Pahu, is currently at a facility in Borneo. She may one day join the others.
Emi nibbles on leaves with her baby at the Cincinnati Zoo, U.S.A.
Pahu’s Rescue
Veterinarians from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia were on hand to guide Pahu into a crate that was then loaded onto a truck. Heavy rains had choked the roads with debris, so the path forward was not clear. A local mining company sent a bulldozer. Pahu was finally given a police escort to a sanctuary.
Pahu will be given time to settle in to her new home. In the meantime, plans continue to find other rhinos in the wild and give them new homes, too. The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary is nearly full. So, a new facility is being built.
For now, Pahu’s rescue marks another major step in rescuing the Sumatran rhino. The work is slow, but promising.
At the sanctuary, each rhino lives in its own section of rainforest.
