Celebrating Harapan the Sumatran rhino’s Birthday

Today we celebrate Sumatran rhino Harapan’s birthday! He’s one of fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos left in the world. Photo credit: Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark.

It’s official, he’s a teenager! Today is the 13th birthday of Harapan, one of the Sumatran rhinos who resides at the Way Kambas Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) in Indonesia.

Harapan was born at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2007 to mother Emi and father Ipuh. His parents were part of an international breeding program developed to increase the population of the critically endangered Sumatran rhino—now numbering less than 80 in the world.

After spending his first eight years in three United States zoos: the Cincinnati Zoo, White Oak Conservation Center in Florida, and the Los Angeles Zoo, Harapan “returned home” to Indonesia on November 1, 2015.

‘Harry,’—as he’s known to his caretakers—now lives in a 20-acre open forest area that is quite similar to what his natural habitat would look like if he were in the wild. In the past year, SRS staff have begun introducing Harapan to resident females in hopes that he will soon be an active participant in the Sumatran rhino breeding program.

In late fall 2019, Sumatran Rhino Rescue partner International Rhino Foundation (IRF) announced the expansion of the Way Kambas SRS that Harry calls home. The expansion of this sanctuary will provide a home for more rescued rhinos and support the Indonesian government’s national breeding program to help the species survive for generations to come.

IRF and Yayasan Badak Indonesia (YABI) worked closely with national and local government officials in Indonesia to secure approval for the expansion of the sanctuary. Now, the SRS has increased its capacity and can hold an additional five rhinos.

The intrepid Harapan is the first rhino to move into the new enclosures in the expansion area. Harapan’s keepers report that he is as happy as ever in the new area. Already the SRS's largest rhino, with access to more browse, he's gaining more weight, as any healthy 13-year-old rhino should.

To ensure a future for Sumatran rhinos like Harapan, Sumatran Rhino Rescue is coordinating search and rescue efforts in Indonesia, with the hope of adding some residents to the SRS and neighbors for Harapan. You can support the effort by donating today to fund relocation efforts and the construction of rhino sanctuaries to ensure a future for this species.