A camera trap filmed Desy's fifth Javan rhino calf in Ujung Kulon

A camera trap in Ujung Kulon National Park filmed a Javan rhino calf wallowing with its mother, Desy, on the night of October 10, 2026. Media Indonesia reported the identification on November 3. Park head Ardi Andono said the recording was made at 9:35 p.m. Western Indonesia Time. From the pictures, the monitoring team estimates the calf is one to two months old, healthy, and keeping up with Desy. Andono said Desy herself looked in very good condition and is experienced at raising calves. Rangers will keep watching the pair without disturbing them.

The forestry ministry lists this as Desy's fifth calf: Arjuna in 2013, Arum in 2015, Hawa in 2018, Syauki in 2024, and the calf filmed in October 2026. The park's monitoring team called it her third calf with a male they strongly suspect is Musofa. Acting conservation director-general Mahfudz described the birth as hope for a species found only in Indonesia, and he tied continued protection to patrols and to the Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area programme. The news is this calf and that family line. It is not a new park-wide census, and the paper did not give the calf a name.