December 24, 2008	Wednesday	Zilhaj 25, 1429

JAKARTA, Dec 23: Four calves of the world’s rarest species of rhino have been found in remote jungle on Indonesia’s Java island, giving hope to efforts to save them from extinction, an official said on Tuesday.

“Four Javan rhinos of six to seven months age were seen by scientists on the beach near the jungle during a recent field survey,” said Agus Primabudi, the head of the Ujung Kulon National Park in West Java.

Alerted to the presence of humans, the baby rhinos fled into the park where two adult rhinos aged roughly 35 to 36, believed to be their parents, were staying, Primabudi said.

Primabudi said that the birth of the four calves has given new hope that the Javan rhinos can breed in the wild at levels high enough to keep the local population alive into the future.—AFP