Rhino Calf Welcomed at Allwetter Zoo

One and a half
years ago, Jane, a 13-year-old Southern White Rhinoceros, came to the Allwetter
Zoo in Münster, Germany from the Scottish Blair Drummond Safari Park and was introduced
to the zoo’s bull Rhino, Harry. The two Rhinos
got along well and after a 16 month gestation, Jane delivered her first calf, a
male, on May 23.

Photo Credits: Allwetter Zoo

Jane was showing signs of labor early in the morning on that day, so the staff
closed the Rhino house to visitors. To
give Jane privacy, the staff watched Jane throughout the day on security
cameras that were installed for this exact purpose. The actual birth process only took about ten minutes. Jane encouraged her newborn to stand, and he
soon was nursing.

The
calf sleeps
a lot, but seems to enjoy rustling in
the thick bed of straw in the Rhino stall.
Jane is an excellent mother, and follows her new baby like a hawk.

Southern
White Rhinos are the most abundant of all Rhino species, but they are still
threatened by poaching for their horns, which are used in traditional medicine.

See more photos of the Rhino calf below the fold.