ZooBorns

Memorable Mother's Day For A Disney "Mom"

Mother’s Day was possibly a little more memorable this year for a Disney “mom” that recently gave birth to a white rhino calf at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

After a 16-month gestation period, Kendi delivered her fourth calf Friday, May 4. The healthy male, which has not yet been named, is the ninth white rhino born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom; his mother, 13-year-old, Kendi, was the first.

Photo credit: Gene Duncan

“The birth of a white rhino calf is certainly something to celebrate since the population of this species is endangered in the wild,” said Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., vice president of Animals, Science and Environment for Disney Parks. “It’s encouraging that with protection and careful management, the global population of white rhinos continues to grow.”

Significant Birth: Hamilton Zoo's Southern White Rhino

On March 6 a female Southern White Rhino calf was born at Hamilton Zoo in New Zealand, the sixth to be born at the facility and the seventh to be bred there. The new calf is the second for mother Moesha, age 18, and the fourth for father Kruger, age 23. The "little" one brings the zoo’s current herd population to seven.  

Hamilton Zoo Team Leader of Mammals Samantha Kudeweh, said the birth of the calf is significant for the species as a whole. “Zoo populations have an important role to play in the conservation of species such as rhinos,” she said. “Rhinos bred and housed in zoos, such as this new calf, serve as ambassadors for wild populations and conservation projects, as well as provide genetically sound reserve populations in case of major decline in range states.”

Southern white rhino have been a major success story of wildlife conservation – while their numbers were reduced to less than 100 animals in the early 1900s, conservation efforts have seen the wild population increase to over 20,000 as at the end of 2010. A recent boom in the black market price for rhino horn has been driven by its perceived value as a traditional Asian medicine remedy and has resulted in a dramatic increase in poaching over the past two years.  

Photo Credit:Hamilton Zoo

Rhino Baby Is a First For Zoo Miami!

Early yesterday morning, after a nearly 16 month pregnancy, “Kalu,” an 11 year old Indian one horned Rhinoceros, gave birth at Zoo Miami.  This is the first ever successful birth of this highly endangered species for Zoo Miami and in fact, in the history of all South Florida zoos.

Kalu was born at the Bronx Zoo on December 22, 2000 and arrived at Zoo Miami as part of a breeding loan on June 10, 2004.  The father’s name is “Suru” and he was born at the San Diego Wild Animal Park on December 31, 2000.  He arrived at Zoo Miami on October 19, 2003 as part of a breeding loan with the San Francisco Zoo.  This is the first offspring for both individuals.

Photo Credits: Ron Magill

There are less than 3,000 Indian Rhinos left in the wild occurring in small protected areas of Nepal, India, and Assam.  Over the years, they have been poached extensively for their horn which is used for medicinal purposes and for dagger handles that are revered in some Asian cultures.  They are the world’s fourth largest land mammal sometimes reaching a weight of 6,000 pounds.

More photos below the fold...

The Wilds Welcomes a 4th Generation White Rhino Calf

On October 2, Zenzele, a nine-year-old Southern White Rhino who was also born at the Wilds Conservation Center in southeast Ohio, gave birth to her second calf. The birth is particularly significant because this is the second fourth-generation calf born at the Wilds.

Photo Credits: The Wilds

Baby Joy as Second White Rhino Is Born at Beauval Zoo

Something wonderful happened at France's Zoo Parc de Beauval in the middle of the night on Sunday, October 16... a White Rhino was born.  The baby, a male, weighed about 176 pounds (80 kg) and the report is that he and Satara, his mother, are doing well -- so well in fact that he is already on view through a huge window in the Rhino house.

For now he is sticking close to mom and can be seen nursing. But in a few weeks, he will go out with his mother into the habitat to join the 70 other animals that inhabit the sizeable area, including Wildebeest, Giraffes, and Zebras. His horn will begin to grow when he is 3-4 months old.   

This is the second male White Rhino born at the zoo -- the first, Kanty, was born in Novmeber of 2009. The White Rhino is particularly endangered due to poaching for the purported value of their horns. Rare in the wild, the White Rhino has an EEP (European Breeding Program) to encourage reproduction, which has proven difficult at zoos.

Photo Credit: ZooParc de Beauval

The World's First ZooBorn Rhino!

In 1956, at Zoo Basel in Basel, Switzerland, "Rudra" became the first ever 'ZooBorn' Indian Rhinoceros. Over the last 55 years, Zoo Basel has heralded births of 32 Rhinos. Despite successful breeding and breeding programs at zoos worldwide, the threat of extinction to these endangered creatures is now more grave than ever. Hunted for their horns by unscrupulous poachers, all Rhino species are increasingly under attack. Zoo Basel plays a crucial role in the European Endangered Species Program (EEP), whose aim is to prevent inbreeding in captive populations by connecting breeding pairs from different bloodlines at zoos the world over. Zoos and animal parks are home to some 190 Rhinos which remind visitors to the urgent plight of their wild counterparts in India and Nepal.

Rudra was the son of Gadadhar and Joymohti. Within two days, he was out on exhibit and his birth was widely documented in newspapers, radio and television around the world. That year, Zoo Basel welcomed a record number of visitors. In all, 32 Rhinos have been born at Zoo Basel, with "Henna", the white-legged Indian Rhino born just last year ebing the youngest. In 1959, Rudra went to the Milwaukee Zoo and fathered his own child before his death in 1987. He is memorialized by a special exhibit in Zoo Basel's Gamgoas house.

Today, protection of rhinos in Africa and Asia is increasingly urgent. This year alone, over 280 Rhinos were killed in Africa. Ruthless poachers have in recent months even stolen Rhino horns from European museums. In many Asian countries, the Rhinoceros horn is regarded as a medical remedy, despite there being no medical evidence to support this. The result is that each day, one or more Rhinos is brutally and needlessly killed.

Help Name Tampa's Newest Arrival: An Endangered Rhino Calf!

An endangered Indian Rhinoceros (also known as the greater one-horned Rhinoceros) was born Wednesday evening, July 13, at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo to second-time mother “Jamie,” in the rhino barn within the Zoo’s Asian Gardens exhibit area.  The Indian Rhino birth is the second for the Zoo in two years, and a significant conservation milestone for the species with fewer than 60 animals in the managed population.

The Indian Rhino calf is not yet named, but the Zoo has launched a naming contest on its Facebook page for the online community to participate.  A selection of Hindi names -- starting with the letter J in honor of mother Jamie -- are below (in alphabetical order). 

• Jahi (JA-hi)“dignified”
• Jamil (JA-mil)  “handsome”
• Janmesh (JAN-mish) “king”
• Jaskaran (JAS-ka-ran) “good deeds”

The male calf will receive the name with the most votes through Monday, August 1.

Photo credits: Courtesy of Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo

Florida's Newest Little Lady

Meet Laini, Lion Country Safari's newest "little" lady, weighing in at a healthy 50 lbs. Born April 28th after a 16 month gestation, this Southern White Rhinoceros calf will remain with mom in the rhino calving pen for about three months, giving the pair time to bond. After that, they will roam freely in Lion Country Safari’s Hwange National Park with the other White Rhinos, including dad Ronnie.

Notice the "insert horn here" nub on Laini in the picture below. Her horn will grow between 1-3 inches per year so it will take a while to get to a formidable size.

Laini means fragile/endangered in Swahili, and the Southern White Rhinoceros is indeed threatened by poaching and habitat destruction. Since 1979, Lion Country Safari has had 32 rhino offspring. Little Laini was born as part of the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan (SSP), a program of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA).

Australia's Newest Bundle of Baby Rhino Joy!

For some time now staff at Monarto Zoo in South Australia have been eagerly waiting for the birth of a southern White Rhino calf. Monday April 25 put an end to the waiting game with the arrival of a wrinkly, big footed baby Rhino. Staff arrived early to find mum resting inside her night area, which is unusual for that time of morning, and upon hearing staff Umqali promptly greeted them to reveal a tiny baby hiding behind her. So far this year, on average one rhino a day has been killed by poachers in Southern Africa. This is an appalling statistic. AND it is all for compressed hair-keratin, the same substance that forms our toenails! It is so important that zoo’s like Monarto and others make people aware of how fragile nature is and provide them with a way for people to act in the best interest of the natural world.

Photo and video credits: Monarto Zoo

First Baby Black Rhino in 20 Years for St. Louis

On January 14th, the St. Louis Zoo welcomed its first Black Rhinoceros calf in 20 years to first-time parents, mother Kati Rain and father Ajabu. Weighing in at a dainty 120-1/2 pounds, the little male is nursing well and being cared for by his mother, according to Zoo staff. The Black Rhino has experienced the most drastic decline of any rhino species. In 1970, it was thought there were about 65,000 black rhinos in Africa. By 1993, there were only 2,300 survivors in the wild. Black rhinos are heavily poached, because it is thought in many Asian countries that the rhino horn has medicinal uses.

Photo credits: St. Louis Zoo

The Saint Louis Zoo’s black rhinos are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Black Rhino Species Survival Plan (SSP), a program to manage a genetically healthy population of black rhinos in North American zoos. Currently there are 60 black rhinos in 38 institutions.

More pictures below the fold