TORONTO - The Toronto Zoo says a greater one-horned rhinoceros calf is its first newborn animal of 2018.
The zoo says 13-year-old rhino Ashakiran gave birth to a male calf on Thursday after a pregnancy that lasted 16 months.
This is the fifth greater one-horned rhino birth in the Toronto Zoo's history.
Ashakiran gave birth to another calf in February 2016, while a white rhino was born at the zoo in December 2017.
There are about 3,500 greater one-horned rhinos, also known as Indian rhinos, left in the wild.
The zoo says greater one-horned rhinos, which nearly went extinct in the early 1900s, have been downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable" as their numbers have increased, but that habitat degradation and poaching still threaten the species.
We are excited to announce that Ashakiran, a 13-year-old female greater one-horned rhino, gave birth to a male calf on Thursday, January 4, 2018, at 11:04 am. This is the first birth of 2018 for the Zoo.�� �� A greater one-horned rhino鈥檚 gestation lasts 425 - 496 days (approximately 16 months). Ashakiran, affectionately known to her keepers as "Asha", was moved from public viewing into a maternity area mid-December where video cameras were set in place for Wildlife Care staff to monitor her closely. While the calf appears healthy and feeding well, the first thirty days will be critical for both mom and calf. This is the second calf for Asha and father Vishnu. Asha gave birth to male Nandu on February 17, 2016. This is the fifth birth of a greater one-horned rhino in the Zoo's history. This recent birth is very important for greater one-horned rhino conservation, also known as the Indian rhino, as the species is currently listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and there are only approximately 3,500 left in the wild. The Toronto Zoo is part of the Greater One-Horned Rhino Species Survival Plan (SSP), which aims to establish and maintain healthy, genetically diverse populations, and overall conservation efforts to save this incredible species. The Zoo supports rhinoceros conservation efforts in the wild through keeper driven events and the Toronto Zoo Endangered Species Reserve Fund. Watch below to see him nursing from mom, Asha. �� Please note: Toronto Zoo Wildlife Care staff will continue to closely monitor Asha and her calf in the maternity area, which is not visible to the public at this time. #RhinoDiaries #savingspecies
Posted by on Friday, January 5, 2018
