Baby announcement! Third rhino born at NC Zoo in two years
The North Carolina Zoo is celebrating the birth of a big baby this month.
The Asheboro destination on Thursday announced the birth of a third southern white rhino in just under two years. The female calf was born on Sunday, Jan. 5, to mother Kit and father Stormy. The calf weighed approximately 100 pounds and will be named at a later time, according to the zoo.
“This is a great moment and testament to the dedication of our Zoo staff,” Zoo Director Pat Simmons said in a press release. “These successful births are because of a lot of hard work and collaboration among our entire animal care staff.”
Rhinos have lived at the zoo since 1976 as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' survival plan for the species. But it would be more than 40 years before a healthy rhino calf was born there. The Zoo’s 40-acre Watani Grasslands expansion – completed in 2008 – was created specifically for a breeding rhino herd, according to the zoo. Two rhinos were born at the zoo in summer 2018.
Zookeepers report the new calf is healthy and nursing, the press release says. Zoo staff expect her to gain 100 pounds a month in the first year. She could weigh 3,500 to 5,500 pounds when fully grown.
“Congratulations to the North Carolina Zoo on the successful birth of a third Southern white rhino in just two years,” said Susi H. Hamilton, secretary of the N.C. Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources, in the press release. “I’m proud of the zoo’s continuing commitment to saving this and other threatened species at home and around the world.”
Southern white rhinos were hunted to near extinction by the beginning of the 20th century for their horns, which some erroneously believe provide medicinal benefits, according to the zoo. Rhino horn is constructed from keratin, which is the same material that makes up human fingernails and hair. Today, populations in the wild still face significant threats from poaching and habitat loss, according to the zoo.
The Zoo’s herd now consists of nine rhinos: male Stormy; females Linda, Kit, Natalie, Abby, and Olivia; and calves Nandi and Bonnie and the new female calf just born.
The second-largest land mammal after elephants, rhinos are pregnant from 16 to 18 months, according to the zoo. A rhino will only give birth every two to five years. They can live 40 to 50 years and run at impressive speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.
The Asheboro zoo is about 90 minutes from the Triangle. In 2019, it also welcomed baby chimps in March and November.
