Rare Rhino born at Chester Zoo

CCTV captures the moment a rare greater one-horned rhino is born into the world.

After a a 16-month gestation period and a 20 minute labour, mum Asha gave birth to a 60 kg calf. 

In the CCTV footage, the newborn is seen taking its first steps, followed by its first feed. 

The currently unnamed calf is seen as a big development in the endangered species programme, as the specific species of rhino is listed as close to extinction under the the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 

Tim Rowlands, Curator of Mammals, said:

“Asha is a superb mum and delivered her little bundle of joy in very relaxed fashion – almost lying down completely to give birth. 

“Greater one-horned rhinos are a vulnerable species and every new calf is ever so special. This is a momentous new arrival.    

“Rhinos around the world are under increasing pressure due largely to the senseless poaching of their horn. We need more people to be aware of their plight and join us in the fight to end the slaughter and ensure these magnificent animals are around for the future. Asha’s precious new arrival, which is already developing into quite a bolshie little character, will hopefully go some way to keeping rhinos and the surrounding issues in the spotlight.” 

Mike Jordan, Collections Director, added: 

“At one stage, the greater one-horn rhino was hunted almost to extinction and there were less than 200 in the wild. Thankfully, steps to protect them were taken just in time and today there are around 3,500 in India and Nepal. 

“That number though is still desperately small and they continue to face threats to their long-term survival. As with the rhinos in Africa, they are targeted for their horns by poachers and much of the land where they once lived has been taken over by humans. It’s therefore vitally important that we act for wildlife to ensure the population doesn’t dip to critically low levels again.” 

The calf is only the second greater one-horned rhino to be ever born at the zoo, and is the first in over four years.