JAKARTA, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia on Tuesday welcomed the birth of a baby Sumatran elephant, a critically endangered animal, in Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra Island, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry reported.
Born to mother Amel and father Rendy on Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, the baby elephant is 98 cm long, and weighs 78 kg.
"This good news should encourage all of us to continue the breeding of protected animals," said Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar.
Currently, the baby and its mother are being monitored by park veterinarians to ensure their health, according to the ministry.
The Sumatran elephant population has declined by 80 percent in the last 25 years due to rapid deforestation, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
A Sumatran rhinoceros, which is also critically endangered, was born from semi-natural breeding in the same park on Saturday. ■
