A female baby eastern black rhino was born at Chester Zoo a few weeks ago, with the beautiful moment captured on CCTV.
The birth of the rhino on October 29 followed a 15-month pregnancy.
In the video, the calf struggles to stand up after being born before suckling on her mother Ema Elsa moments later.
The young rhino then mooches around on the soil and bonds with her mother in footage that is almost too cute to be true.
Andrew McKenzie, team manager of rhinos at Chester Zoo, said, ‘The birth of a critically endangered eastern black rhino is always very special.
‘And to be able to watch on camera as a calf is born is an incredible privilege – with rhino numbers so, so low it, sadly, isn’t something that’s captured very often.
‘It really is heart-warming stuff. The whole team here is overjoyed. Mum and calf have bonded wonderfully and have been showing us all of the right signs.’
Eastern black rhinos can be found in Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. There are fewer than 1,000 remaining on the planet. Experts say this is due to an increased demand for rhino horns, stemming from the Asian medicine market.
‘These rhinos have been pushed to the very edge of existence and every single addition to the European endangered species breeding programme is celebrated globally,’ Andrew added.
‘It’s sadly no exaggeration to say that it’s entirely possible that we could lose them forever within our lifetime and the world’s most progressive zoos are very much part of the fight to prevent their extinction.
‘In the future, as we work to ensure more safe areas, we hope Ema and her offspring, like others before them born into the European breeding programme, are one day able to make the journey back to Africa.’
The zoo is now asking animal lovers to help select a name for the baby rhino. The zoo’s Facebook followers can take part in a poll to choose between Kasulu, Koshi and Kaari.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/15/cctv-captures-moment-endangered-baby-rhino-is-born-at-chester-zoo-13597819/
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