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A few years ago it would have seemed impossible, but conservationists are now rejoicing after their run-in with a rare Sumatra rhino in the wild, the first sighting in 40 years.

The World Wildlife Fund announced conservationists managed to catch the rare rhino in a pit trap in the the Indonesian part of Borneo on March 12.

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The female, believed to be between the age of four and five-years old, is one of only 100 Sumatran rhinos in the wild, mainly on the island of Sumatra. Once thought to be extinct in Indonesia, conservationists discovered footprints of the creature and eventually captured a photo of the rhino in 2013.

The rhino will be moved by helicopter to a new home – a protected forest about 150 kilometres from where she was captured.

“This unprecedented discovery and unparalleled operation boosts our hope to save one of the most endangered species and an iconic symbol of the majestic Asian rainforests. This is an exciting moment in our efforts to save the world’s amazing biodiversity,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International.

Also known as the hairy rhino or the Asian two-horned rhinoceros, the creature was declared extinct in the Malaysian part of Borneo last year. Apart from poaching, the rhinos face serious habitat loss from mining, plantations and logging.

The WWF says the species is more closely related to the extinct woolly rhinos than any of the other rhino species alive today.

Sumatran rhinos are much smaller than their relatives in Africa and are the smallest rhinos alive today. The larger males can grow to between 2 to 4 metres in length and reach up to 1.5 metres in height.