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Rare Javan Rhino Calf Spotted in Indonesia

This 2021 handout image released by Indonesia's environment ministry shows one of two rare Javan rhino calves that were caught on video in Ujung Kulon National Park. Photo: MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTRY REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA/AFP/File
This 2021 handout image released by Indonesia's environment ministry shows one of two rare Javan rhino calves that were caught on video in Ujung Kulon National Park. Photo: MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTRY REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA/AFP/File
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Rare Javan Rhino Calf Spotted in Indonesia

This 2021 handout image released by Indonesia's environment ministry shows one of two rare Javan rhino calves that were caught on video in Ujung Kulon National Park. Photo: MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTRY REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA/AFP/File
This 2021 handout image released by Indonesia's environment ministry shows one of two rare Javan rhino calves that were caught on video in Ujung Kulon National Park. Photo: MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTRY REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA/AFP/File

A new Javan rhinoceros calf has been spotted at an Indonesian national park, giving hope for the conservation of one of the world's most endangered mammals, Agence France Presse reported Sunday.

The calf, estimated to be between three and five months old, was spotted in footage captured last month by one of 126 camera traps installed in Ujung Kulon National Park on Java island.

The mammal, whose sex remains unknown, was seen walking with its mother inside the park, the last remaining wild habitat for Javan rhinos, AFP said.

"Praise God, this is good news and proves that Javan rhinos, which only exist in Ujung Kulon, can breed properly," senior environment ministry official Satyawan Pudyatmoko said in a statement on Saturday.

After years of population decline, authorities believe there are 82 rare rhinos inside the around 120,000-hectare sanctuary of lush rainforest and freshwater streams.

Javan rhinos have folds of loose skin giving them the appearance of wearing armor plating.

They once numbered in the thousands across Southeast Asia, but have been hard hit by rampant poaching and human encroachment on their habitats.

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Rare Pudu Birth in Argentina Sparks Conservation Hopes for Tiny Enigmatic Deer

A rare pudu fawn named Lenga, born earlier this month, is seen at the Temaiken Foundation, in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 22, 2024. (Reuters)
A rare pudu fawn named Lenga, born earlier this month, is seen at the Temaiken Foundation, in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 22, 2024. (Reuters)
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Rare Pudu Birth in Argentina Sparks Conservation Hopes for Tiny Enigmatic Deer

A rare pudu fawn named Lenga, born earlier this month, is seen at the Temaiken Foundation, in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 22, 2024. (Reuters)
A rare pudu fawn named Lenga, born earlier this month, is seen at the Temaiken Foundation, in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 22, 2024. (Reuters)

A rare pudu fawn was born in a biopark in Argentina earlier this month, giving scientists and conservationists a unique chance to study and collect data on the tiny enigmatic deer.

Weighing just 1.21 kg (2.7 lbs), the delicate, fragile and white-spotted male pudu fawn was named Lenga after a tree species endemic to the Andean Patagonian forest of Chile and Argentina.

"It's a very enigmatic animal, it's not easy to see," said Maximiliano Krause, Lenga's caretaker at the Temaiken Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to conserving wild species.

Pudus are one of the smallest deer species in the world, growing up to 50-cm (20-inches) tall and weighing up to 12 kg (26.5 lbs).

At just a fraction of that weight, Krause says Lenga is spending his days exploring the park with his mother Chalten and father Nicolino. Lenga is breastfeeding for the first two months until he can handle a herbivorous diet.

After that, Lenga will lose his white spots that help fawns camouflage themselves in their environment. Krause says the mottled color helps the tiny baby deer hide from both daytime and nighttime predators. At about one year, pudus develop antlers and reach up to 10 cm (4 inches).

Pudus are very elusive animals and flee in zig-zags when chased by predators. The tiny deer also face threats from wild dogs and species introduced into southern Argentina and Chile. Only about 10,000 pudus remain and are classified as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"This pudu birth is obviously a joy for us," said Cristian Guillet, director of zoological operations at the Temaiken Foundation.

Guillet said that Lenga will help them research and gather data that will help conservation efforts for pudus and other Patagonian deer, like the huemul.

"(This) offers hope of saving them from extinction," Guillet said.