Standing next to her 2,900-pound mom, the baby rhino at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo sure looks tiny. But looks can be deceiving, as the new arrival weighed a sturdy 60 pounds at birth and will gain at least 30 pounds a month as she grows.
The female black rhino calf was born in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 11, at the Zoo's Rhino Building. Her arrival is a major success in the Zoo's ongoing breeding and conservation efforts to save the critically endangered black rhino from extinction. The new calf is the third born at the Zoo since 2001, and one of just a few born this year nationwide.
The yet-to-be-named rhino baby is especially significant because she is the first offspring ever sired by male rhino Jimma, who came to the Zoo in 2005 from Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan.
"This birth represents hope for a critically endangered species," said Geoff Hall, the Zoo's General Curator. "We've been eagerly anticipating this birth for a long time, and the staff is thrilled she's here and doing so well."
The rhino baby's mother is Inge, who was born in the wilds of South Africa and came to the Zoo in 1997 from Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. Inge gave birth to all three of the rhinos born at the Zoo, including Kibibi, who was born in 2003 and now tips the scales at about 2,200 pounds. Inge's first offspring, female Azizi, was born in 2000 and now resides at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
The Zoo's effort to breed black rhinos is a top priority because the species is so critically endangered in the wild and additional births will serve to perpetuate the species for generations to come. Native to the African savanna, black rhinos were nearly wiped out in recent decades because hunters were killing them for their horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine and as status symbols in the Middle East. While more than 65,000 black rhinos roamed the savanna in the 1970s, just 3,600 remain in the wild today.
The baby rhino at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is not yet on public display, as she is continuing to bond with her mother. You can see video footage of her on the Zoo's web site, clemetzoo.com, where you also can download a video podcast of the baby rhino to your iPod. Photos are available upon request.
Celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2007, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with hours extended to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Admission is $10 per person, $5 for kids ages 2 to 11 and free for children under 2 and Zoo members. Parking is free. Located at 3900 Wildlife Way, the Zoo is easily accessible from Interstates 71, 77, 90 and 480. To learn more, visit clemetzoo.com or call (216) 661-6500.
