Endangered Indian rhino gives birth at Polish zoo
There’s a big new addition to the Wroclaw Zoo in Poland.
A baby Indian rhinoceros was born at the animal facility on Jan. 6, adding a new member to the endangered species’ global population.
The young rhino is a female, the zoo said in an announcement Wednesday.
This marks the first time the species of rhino has been born at the Wroclaw Zoo, which was founded in 1865.
The zoo’s president said the child’s mother, a 7-year-old named Maruska, is doing well after giving birth for the first time.
“She looks after her daughter, allows her to nurse, and is very delicate, despite weighing more than 2 tons,” said Radoslaw Ratajszczak.
“For example, when she lies down, she’s very careful not to crush the little one, and even gently moves her aside.”
About 3,600 Indian rhinoceros currently inhabit the world, either in zoos or in the wild. A initiative to save the species was introduced during the 1970s.
In its announcement, the zoo said pregnancies for Indian rhinos last 16 months. The father of the new baby is an 11-year-old named Manas.
There are 86 male and 86 female Indian rhinos living in 66 zoos across the world, the announcement said.
Births in captivity are infrequent for the species. However, the Wroclaw Zoo expressed confidence that there will be more to come.
“It probably isn’t the last one, because our couple is young and they still have many years of life ahead of them,” reads part of the zoo’s announcement.
The Wrocław Zoo is Poland’s oldest zoo.
With News Wire Services
