A SOUTHERN white rhino calf has been born at Blair Drummond Safari Park, marking another important step towards saving the species from extinction, say her keepers.
The 60kg female, who does not yet have a name, was in the womb for 16 months before being born to parents Dot and Graham, who are both 16 years old. She is the pair’s fifth calf.
“Dot is a great mum and very experienced, having successfully raised four calves previously,” said animal collection manager Sheila Walker. “She was even giving gentle nudges, encouraging the calf to its feet – but it managed all by itself, albeit a bit wobbly at first.”
“The birth was very straightforward and the calf was up on its feet and suckling in just over an hour.”
Southern white rhinos are from southern Africa and were once on the brink of extinction, according to the WWF. Now they are categorised as near-threatened on the IUCN list of endangered species – but poaching means there are still only about 18,000 remaining in the wild.
“Dot and Graham’s latest calf is a big feather in the cap for the ongoing conservation efforts made by Blair Drummond,” said Alisa McCormick, head keeper of Blair Drummond’s large mammals.
“However, as heart warming and delightful that this birth is, it also makes us ever more determined to help their wild counterparts.”
According to conservation charity Save The Rhino, there were 500,000 rhinos of all species across Africa and Asia at the start of the 20th century – today there are only around 29,000.
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