On Christmas day, Warsaw Zoo welcomed this newborn Indian Rhinoceros with great excitement, because he is the first ever rhinoceros born in a Polish zoo. At birth he weighed in at 121.5 pounds (55 kilos) and was named Byś. His parents are Shikari (born in 2006 in
Stuttgart) and Kuba (born in 2004 in Berlin).

In the wild, it's estimated that only about 3000 Indian
Rhinoceros remain. They are among the rarest mammals in the world today. While loss of habitat is a factor, poachers are the largest threat to these animals, who, tragically, hunt and kill them mostly for their horns. Conservation efforts are essential to ensure this species survival.

Andrzej Zielinski, from the zoo's Culture Department, said, "The birth of this rhinoceros is one
of the most important events in the history of Polish zoos."

Photo Credit: Warsaw Zoo/Ewa Ziółkowska

Little Byś will not go into the outdoor habitat until the spring; until then, zoo guest can see him with his mother behind the scenes thanks to indoor cameras and exhibit screens.  Here he is at bathtime, which the little one enjoys every day.

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