Rare SumatraN rhino named a ‘gift from God’
A critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros, which became on Saturday only the fourth birth in captivity in more than a century, was today named a “gift from God”.
Forestry minister Zulkifli Hasan said he had picked the name “Andatu” for the male calf, which was born at an Indonesian sanctuary, on the southern tip of Sumatra island.
“Andatu” combines parts of its parents’ name, Andalas the father and mother Ratu, and refers to “Anugerah Dari Tuhan”, or Gift from God in Indonesian, he jubilantly told a press conference.
“Andatu is the most appropriate choice” he said. “His birth is a milestone in the conservation of Sumatran rhinos and will build public confidence of rhino conservation efforts in our country,” he added. Sumatran rhinos have suffered a 50 percent drop in population numbers over the past 20 years.
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Italy conducts first robotic liver procedure
Rome: A medical transplant centre on the Italian island of Sicily said on Monday it had carried out the world’s first partial liver transplant using only a robot to remove the organ of the donor.
According to a statement from the ISMETT transplant centre in Palermo, only the arms of a robot entered the abdomen of the 44-year-old donor looking to save his 46-year-old brother suffering from cirrhosis of the liver.
Thanks to the robot, only five keyhole incisions and one nine-centimetre (3.5-inch) incision were required for the operation, the centre said.
“This is the first case in the world performed entirely and exclusively with the robotic technique,” the centre said. The procedure, known as hepatectomy, was performed in March but the news was held until the recipient was given a clean bill of health and discharged from hospital, the centre said. — AFP
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