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Southern white rhino born at UK zoo
Within two hours of being born, the tiny rhino started to take his first wobbly steps with Mum close to his side, the zoo said. Credit: Whipsnade Zoo via Storyful
A zoo in the United Kingdom has welcomed the birth of a very special animal – a baby southern white rhinoceros.
The baby boy was born at Whipsnade Zoo after a very quick four-minute labor to 13-year-old Jaseera who was pregnant for 16 months with the calf.
Within two hours of being born, the tiny rhino started to take his first wobbly steps with Mum close to his side, the zoo said.
"Southern white rhinos are born with over-sized, rubbery feet, which they ‘grow into’, so the calf was understandably quite wobbly when he first started to walk," said rhino keeper Mark Holden. "But he’s a fast learner and a week later he is now zooming around, exploring his cozy indoor den."
Although this rhino was born in the UK, its existence is a positive sign for animal conservationists as the white rhino is an endangered species.
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The Red List: Endangered species across the globe
Nearly 3,800 animals are critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List.
Although this rhino was born in the UK, its existence is precious and positive for animal conservationists as the white rhino is still hunted illegally in the wild.
"The poached horns are primarily used for traditional medicine in Asia, due to mistaken beliefs that the horns have healing powers. Last year in South Africa alone around 500 white rhinos were killed for their horn, that’s more than one a day," Holden said.
Southern white rhinos are classified as "near threatened" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
Whipsnade Zoo is a zoo and safari park that is one of Europe’s largest wildlife conservation parks and said to be the largest zoo in the UK. It is located about 35 miles northwest of London.
This story was reported from Detroit. Storyful contributed.