Rare 50kg rhino calf born at Chester Zoo
Zookeepers at Chester Zoo are celebrating the arrival of a rare rhino calf.
The female greater one-horned rhino calf was born on October 14 just before 4.30pm, weighing 50kg - just over 110lbs.
Keepers have been waiting patiently for the youngster, following mum Asha's 15-month pregnancy.
The rhinos are vulnerable to extinction, with only about 3,000 estimated to be left in the wild as they battle habitat loss and illegal poaching for their horns.
They are native to north-east India and southern Nepal. At one point, there were less than 200 in the wild.
Sam Harley, rhino team manager, said: "We’re absolutely thrilled with Asha and her new arrival. It’s been four years since a greater one-horned rhino calf was born here at Chester Zoo and they really are an incredible sight.
"It was a true privilege to witness such a special event.
"The sheer size of this species is incredible - the calf was born weighing 50kg and she’ll grow to around 1.7 tonnes.
"But despite their enormous stature, this species has a really soft side. Mum and calf have been so relaxed and calm, spending time side-by-side bonding together."
The zoo's hidden cameras caught the birth, with the zoo sharing the beautiful moment on their social media pages.
Staff are also asking for the public to vote for the youngster's name, with options Thuli after a river in Nepal, Jiya, which is the Indian word for sunshine, or Bahula which means star.
Asha’s pregnancy was tracked by the zoo’s onsite endocrinology lab, which monitors the hormones in dung samples to check how a pregnancy is progressing.
Laboratory technician John O’Hanlon said: "We’re the only zoo in the UK to have an onsite endocrinology lab, which allows us to track an animal’s hormones and even its pregnancy.
"Performing an ultrasound with an Indian rhino, and that amazingly thick skin, isn't easy, but by collecting and monitoring weekly samples of Asha’s dung, we’re able to track the pregnancy to see how mum and calf are doing.
"Our lab work doesn’t stop there, it also tells us things like when different species come into season and when the right time would be to pair them with a mate.
"We process hundreds of samples a day from zoos all around the UK and Europe, and working with partners in Kenya, we're building on what we do here at Chester Zoo to support wild rhino populations.
"It’s a wonderful feeling to know that you are contributing to preventing the extinction of so many precious species."
