Here we are with a lots of Rhino news from worldwide! Are you ready?
Births
At the beginning of August, San Diego Safari Park (California, USA) announced that there was a new addition to the Indian Rhino crash. First-time mum Asha II gave birth on 22 June 2018 to a healthy female calf, named Carole. The pair has lived since the calf’s birth in a protected area, called boma, behind the scenes, in order to monitor the relationship between them. Things went perfectly, since mum and daughter made their debut in the pasture. Mum Asha II arrived in California in 2015 from Texas, where she was born 6 years ago as the fifth child for resident couple Shanti and Arun. Carole’s dad should be the experienced male Bhopu, born in India almost 18 years ago.
Something unusual happened on Tuesday 31 July 2018 at around 12:00 in the Rhino House at Chester Zoo (UK). Eastern Black Rhino Malindi, almost 12 years old, entered into labour in front of astonished visitors: the birth of a healthy male calf was the result! It is uncommon for Rhinos to give birth in the morning hours, less than ever in front of visitors: last year, in Europe, only Southern White Rhino Emily, in Colchester (UK), chose to do so in February. At the moment, Malindi and the baby are doing great: the calf has just received the name “Jumaane” that means “born on Tuesday”. Jumaane is the second calf for rhino couple Malindi and Magadi: the two had Dakima back in 2013.
Cleveland Metropark Zoo (Ohio,USA) has just welcomed the second Eastern Black Rhino calf of the year. After her own daughter Kibibbi, even Rhino Inge gave birth to a healthy calf. The baby was born on 20 August 2018 and the sex has not been revealed. We assume the baby is a female, but we do wait for official confirmation. For 25 years old Inge is the fifth calf, while for dad Forest the new baby is the second.
New Arrivals
At the end of July, through an official video published on the Facebook page, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Florida, USA) announced that on the African Plains there are two new female Rhinos. Both females are around 3 years of age and are called Penelope and Calliope and arrived at the Park at the end of 2017. We do not know where these lady Rhinos are from, so we ask for your help! If anybody has new information, please do contact us through our mail or our Facebook page.
Names
At Fossil Rim (Texas, USA) Southern White Rhino M’Bili‘s calf has received a name. It is Xena, as the warrior princess from the famous TV series!
In North Carolina the second Southern White Rhino calf has also received a name: it is Bonnie!
Deaths
We have just received the news of two Southern White Rhino deaths in South America.
At Buenos Aires (Argentina) the female Southern White Rhino Ruth died on 14 July 2018. She developed an infection in her vulva that later spread. According to the sources, she had problems breathing and then also had diarrhea. She was also attacked by the male Rhinoceros, but her situation improved. Few times later, the sources reports that her “enclosure flooded, she slipped and got stuck in the mud. For more than six hours, her keepers made a desperate attempt to rescue her using four-wheel-drive vehicles and other machinery. By the time they got Ruth out, she was too weak”. She died few hours later.
At Belo Horizonte (Brasil) the male Southern White Rhino Doran, 27 years old, died on 21 February 2018. He was born at Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic) and arrived in Brasil in 1996. Doran had suffered of pododermatitis since 2009: he was under constant care. Zoo modified his enclosure floor, but eventually Doran didin’t make it. The Facility has another female rhino called Luna. She is 48 years old.
