”The Baby Has Arrived”: US Zoo Announces Birth Of Critically Endangered Eastern Black Rhino Calf

There are only 740 eastern black rhinoceroses left in the wild

A critically-endangered subspecies of rhinoceros gave birth to a calf at the Kansas City Zoo on December 31, People said in a report. In a Facebook post, the Missouri-based establishment announced the birth of a critically endangered eastern black rhinoceros calf, saying that they are ”thrilled to introduce the new arrival.” 

The rhinos’ animal care specialists said that the ”calf is walking, nursing, and even playing spar, and that Zuri is a patient and attentive first-time mother. ” 

Kansas City Zoo also released a photo of the rhinoceros and its calf. The picture was captioned as ”The baby has arrived! Zuri, a critically endangered eastern black rhinoceros, gave birth to an adorable calf in the early morning hours on December 31!” 

See the picture here:

According to zookeepers, the barn is being kept quiet with limited human interaction to allow them plenty of time to bond. Once mother and calf have had that bonding time, a neonatal exam will be performed in the coming weeks to confirm the gender and overall health, as per the zoo. After figuring out whether the calf is male or female, the Kansas City Zoo will hold a ceremony to choose the baby’s name.   

The calf’s mother, Zuri and father, Ruka, came to the Kansas City Zoo from the Oregon Zoo in April 2018, KCTV reported. While Zuri was born at the Cleveland Zoo, Ruka was born in St. Louis. According to Save the Rhino, a rhinoceros conservation charity, a female rhino is pregnant for 15-17 months before giving birth in a solitary location.  

There are only 740 eastern black rhinoceroses left in the wild, the zoo said, making the birth of the calf even more significant. Meanwhile, there are about 50 eastern black rhinos living in zoos around the world, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The most serious threats to the species are poaching and a lack of safe habitat.