Kansas: Eastern black rhinoceros population has a new member after a calf was born in Kansas City Zoo. A week ago, critically-endangered subspecies of rhinoceros gave birth to a calf.
The Zoo released a photo of the rhinoceros and its calf. It was captioned: "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!."
Zoo authorities are "thrilled to introduce the new arrival" and animal care specialists said the "calf is walking, nursing, and even playing spar." Zuri, the mother, is patient and attentive after her first delivery, reported People. The calf's mother, Zuri, and father, Ruka were brought to the Kansas City Zoo from the Oregon Zoo in April 2018. Zuri was born at the Cleveland Zoo and Ruka was born in St. Louis.
There are only 740 eastern black rhinoceroses left in the wild and around 50 of them are in zoos around the world which makes the new baby even more significant. Poaching and lack of a safe habitat are the biggest threat to the species.
Zookeepers are keeping the barn quiet and limiting human interaction so that the mother and baby have opportunities to bond. After they are bonded, a neonatal exam will be done to discover the gender. Following this, a ceremony will be held to choose its name.