ANIMALS
Indianapolis Zoo Announces Birth Of White Rhino Calf On Super Bowl Sunday
Indianapolis Zoo
The Indianapolis Zoo announced the birth of a southern white rhinoceros calf on Super Bowl Sunday, the first live-birth rhinoceros calf for the zoo.
The calf was born at 9:13 a.m. Sunday to 19-year-old mother Zenzele, who has previously birthed six other calves. Keepers say Zenzele is relaxed and her newborn is content, and both are doing well.
“Zenzele is an experienced and confident mom and everything is going very well,” senior rhinoceros keeper Amber Berndt said in a statement.
The new calf brings the zoo’s rhino herd to five, with Zenzele’s grandmother Gloria, the female Mambo and the male Spike. Zenzele and the calf will remain indoors for a time to bond before introducing the calf to the rest of the herd later this spring, the zoo said.
“Our Life Sciences team has done a tremendous job. It is a privilege for our zoo to care for these magnificent animals and advocate for their conservation,” said Robert Shumaker, Indianapolis Zoo President and CEO.
Southern white rhinos are listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, though they are far more common than the other subspecies of white rhino, the northern white rhino. There are only two northern white rhinos remaining in the world, protected around the clock in Kenya, but both are females.
TMX contributed to this article.
