Rare black rhino takes his first steps just moments after being born

Updated
Watch This Rare Black Rhino Calf Walk Right After Being Born
Watch This Rare Black Rhino Calf Walk Right After Being Born

Video shows a tiny rare rhino calf taking his first steps just moments after he was born.

The baby boy was born at Chester Zoo in England on Saturday night in what staff is calling the "perfect" birth.

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Surveillance footage taken inside his mom's enclosure shows the youngster landing safely on deep sand before getting to his feet. Video taken later in the day shows the calf trotting around his home.

The rhino was born to 13-year-old Ema Elsa after a 15-month pregnancy, according to the zoo.

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Eastern black rhinos are critically endangered in the wild. There are less than 650 believed to be in existence.

"The footage picked up by our CCTV cameras gives us a rare glimpse of a momentous event," said Tim Rowlands, curator of mammals at Chester Zoo. "These animals are on the very brink of extinction and our new arrival is hugely important to the conservation of the species."

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He added: "Ema Elsa is an experienced mum. She has given birth twice before at the zoo and this was another perfect delivery. It's important now that she and her new calf have some quiet time together to strike up those vital early bonds."

Ema Elsa's other two calves, Bashira and Chanua, both live at the zoo. The newborn's dad, 31-year-old Kifaru, moved to the zoo in 2014.

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