Knowsley Safari in Merseyside celebrated the arrival of an endangered white rhino calf last weekend.
Following a 16 month pregnancy, the new yet to be named male was born to mother Meru. Weighing in at a whopping 10 stone, the new arrival is Meru’s eighth calf and joins the crash of seven white rhino at Knowsley Safari.
The birth marks an important step towards boosting global numbers of the critically endangered white rhino species.
Jason Doherty, rhino team leader at Knowsley Safari, says: “Within minutes of being born he took his first wobbly steps. He’s a bouncing bundle of joy, who’s been busy exploring his new surroundings.
“It’ll be interesting to see how the dynamic of the crash changes, especially between Meru and her older calf, Nomvula. Typically, in the wild, the birth of a new rhino is an event which signifies the natural separation from previous infants and so it’s likely that Meru won’t tolerate Nomvula getting too close to her newborn baby boy! It’s not all bad though, white rhino are considered a more social species compared with the other four rhino species and Nomvula can interact with the rest of the crash that she has known since birth.
Sadly, due to poaching for their horns, white rhino are one of the most hunted animals in the world and are now critically endangered as a species. According to 2016 figures from Save the Rhino there are only between 19,666 and 21,085 left in the wild.
Knowsley are ranked as one of the top white rhino breeding groups in Europe and have an extensive endangered species breeding programme committed to saving the white rhino from extinction. In total, the park has seen 20 white rhino births since its first in 1977.
To watch some amazing footage of the new baby rhino click here. For more information on visiting Knowsley Safari go to www.knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk
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