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The loss of the first pregnancy of Ratu, a young female Sumatran rhinoceros at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park, is a blow to efforts to pull the species from the verge of extinction.

“This is not unusual for a rhino’s first pregnancy,” Susie Ellis, the executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, said in a statement released late on Wednesday.

“While we are saddened by this loss, the fact that we achieved a pregnancy confirms that our work with the Sumatran rhino breeding program is progressing. Ratu and [male rhino] Andalas are healthy and have produced one pregnancy, so we are optimistic that success will soon be achieved,” she added.

Ratu and Andalas were brought together by international cooperation in an effort to save this critically endangered species. They bred in January and the pregnancy was announced in February.

Ratu was born in the wild in Indonesia, while Andalas, the first of only three Sumatran rhinos born in captivity in more than 112 years, was born at a US zoo before coming to Indonesia in 2007.

The Sumatran rhino population is estimated at around 200 in the wild with 10 currently in captivity worldwide.

“Our staff is disappointed, but the fact that we did achieve a pregnancy reconfirms our commitment to helping Ratu and Andalas succeed,” said Dedi Candra, the sanctuary’s animal collection coordinator.