Meet “Harry” the
Sumatran Rhino!

Watch the Video of Harry's Birth!
(Windows Media Video file - 24MB)

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is excited to announce that the record-breaking third Sumatran rhino calf of world-famous mother, “Emi,” has officially been named. “Harapan” (pronounced Har-ah-pahn), which is the Indonesian word for “Hope,” was chosen from over 1,000 names submitted from across the country. The name Harapan, or “Harry” for short, seems fitting for the hairiest of all of the rhino species.

More than a dozen Zoo staff and volunteers narrowed down the choices to three. Then, a nationwide vote determined the winning name. Visitors can meet Harapan and Emi at the Zoo from 10 am–2 pm daily during Zoo Babies (weather and behavior permitting).

On April 29, Emi became the first Sumatran rhino in history to produce three calves in captivity, breaking her very own record. Emi delivered a healthy, 86-pound male calf at 10:59 p.m. in her indoor stall. Emi’s legacy has grown as she continues to be the most prolific Sumatran rhino in history. Today, the calf named Harapan weighs 147 pounds.

It was through years of research that the staff at the Cincinnati Zoo’s Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) unraveled the mysteries of Sumatran rhino reproduction. This science has been integrated into the Cincinnati Zoo’s intensive rhino management program that, to-date, remains the only successful Sumatran rhino breeding program in the world.

In September of 2001, Emi gave birth to a healthy 72.6-pound calf named, Andalas. This was the first time in 112 years that a Sumatran rhino successfully reproduced in captivity. In February, Andalas made the historical trek back to his ancestry homeland, Sumatra, to take part in a captive breeding program, in an effort to save his species. In 2004, Emi produced a second healthy 75-pound female calf, Suci, who still remains at the Cincinnati Zoo with mom and dad.

Good news like this comes at a critical time in the conservation of Sumatran rhinos. Today less than 300 survive in the wild and only ten Sumatran rhinos exist in captivity worldwide. The Cincinnati Zoo is home to the only four Sumatran rhinos living in the United States. Emi and the Cincinnati Zoo’s male, Ipuh are on loan from the Indonesian government and are the only successful captive breeding pair in the world.

Sumatran rhinos are a flagship species for the Cincinnati Zoo’s signature conservation programs. The Sumatran rhinoceros is considered one of the most endangered mammals on earth. In the last 15 years over 50% of the Sumatran rhino population has been lost because of poaching and habitat destruction.