The birth of a critically endangered Eastern black rhino is being celebrated at Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire with this the first to be born in Wales.
Six-year-old mum Dakima gave birth to a healthy male calf on January 16th, following a 15-month pregnancy, with the new arrival one of only 40 Eastern black rhino to be born in the UK in the past 20 years.
Eastern black rhinos are critically endangered with fewer than 650 left in the wild, with Folly Farm part of a European breeding programme for the species.
“We couldn’t be happier to welcome our new arrival – Dakima has taken to motherhood like a duck to water. She’s being very protective of the baby which is great because it shows they have a strong bond. This is the most important baby ever to be born at Folly Farm and is such a monumental event for all the staff here. Not only is this calf helping to increase numbers of a critically endangered species, he’s also the first rhino ever to be born in Wales.” commented Tim Morphew, zoo curator.
“Most animals give birth at night under the cover of darkness and Dakima was no exception. Our keeper Rachel Puncher found the baby rhino waiting for her in the enclosure on Thursday morning and did a double-take before telling the rest of the team the good news. We checked the CCTV to find out the time of birth and exactly how it happened. We then left Dakima alone, giving them both some space to bond with the new arrival – but continued to monitor them on the cameras and did regular spot checks to ensure baby was starting to feed.” – Tim continued.
Mum and baby will be off-display for the time being, with as little interference as possible, allowing keepers to make sure the new rhino stays healthy and gets everything he needs from mum,
For more information on visiting go to www.folly-farm.co.uk
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