US-born Sumatran rhino Harapan formally handed over to Indonesian authorities

An 8-year-old male Sumatran rhino named Harapan (hope) eats leaves inside a cage at Way Kambas National Park on Sumatra Island Indonesia, Thursday, Nov 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) (The Associated Press)

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An 8-year-old male Sumatran rhino named Harapan (hope) wallows in mud inside a cage at Way Kambas National Park on Sumatra Island Indonesia, Thursday, Nov 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) (The Associated Press)

An 8-year-old male Sumatran rhino named Harapan (hope) eats leaf inside a cage at Way Kambas National Park on Sumatra Island Indonesia, Thursday, Nov 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) (The Associated Press)

WAY KAMBAS, Indonesia – A Sumatran rhino born in the United States has been formally handed over to Indonesian authorities at a sanctuary where he is expected to mate to help save his critically endangered species from extinction.

The 8-year-old rhino arrived at Way Kambas National Park on Monday after more than 10,000-mile (16,000-kilometer) trip from Cincinnati, Ohio, to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

U.S. consular official Robert Ewing delivered the 1,800-pound (816-kilogram) rhino to Tachrir Fathoni, a senior official at the Indonesia's Ministry of Environment and Forestry, on Thursday at the park in Lampung province.

The rhino named Harapan, or hope, was born at the Cincinnati Zoo and for nearly the past two years was the last Sumatran rhino in the Western Hemisphere.