Al Ain Zoo celebrates birth of first white rhino in GCC
A veterinary team is monitoring the calf's growth
Al Ain: The Al Ain Zoo is celebrating the birth of its first southern white rhinoceros calf in its collection of African wildlife, and plans to exhibit the baby rhino once it is safe for him to roam freely.
The calf is currently in the back of house facilities together with his mother and in close visual proximity to its herd — its father and another female rhinoceros. This is the first southern white rhinoceros that is born in the GCC region, a zoo official said.
Zoo keepers and a veterinarian team are monitoring the calf closely. A rhino's gestation lasts around 16 to 18 months. A new-born usually weighs between 40kg and 65kg and is unsteady for the first few days of its life. When threatened, the baby will run in front of the mother, who is protective of her calf and will fight for it vigorously.
Social rhino species
Weaning starts at two months, but the calf may continue suckling for over 12 months. White rhinos can live up to 40-50 years. Adult white rhinos have no natural predators due to their size, and even young rhinos are rarely attacked due to the mother's presence or preyed on due to their tough skin.
The white rhino is considered the most social of all rhino species and is the world's largest land mammal after the elephant. Despite their size, they are fast and agile and can run up to 50 km/h, the official said.
Muna Al Daheri, acting director of life science and education at the zoo, said: "We are delighted to welcome the southern white rhino calf to our collection of African wildlife." The majority of southern white rhinoceros lives in South Africa.
About 98.5 per cent of white rhinos are found in just five countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda. Almost at the edge of extinction in the early 20th century, the southern sub-species has made a tremendous comeback, she said.
In 2001, it was estimated that there were 11,670 white rhinos in the wild, with a further 777 in captivity worldwide, making it the most common rhino in the world. By the end of 2007, wild-living southern-white rhinos had increased to an estimated 17,480 animals.
Al Ain Zoo is actively involved in conservation projects and works with other like-minded organisations to conserve and re-introduce threatened arid land species such as the Arabian Oryx, Scimitar-horned Oryx, giraffes and gazelle.
