11 February 2024 , 09:29
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A wildlife park is celebrating the birth of a critically endangered Black Rhino calf - one of the rarest mammals on earth.
The award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park (YWP) in Doncaster saw its first birth in history when mum Najuma, 7, reached the end of her 15-month long pregnancy and gave birth to a male calf.
The baby rhino, already weighing 73 kilos, was welcomed on January 16, marking a significant event as international conservation efforts continue to protect the species through the efforts of zoos and wildlife parks, as well as in the wild.
The calf has spent his first few weeks under the watchful gaze of Najuma, who has been described as an excellent new mother. Rangers agreed to let the calf explore the outdoor reserve as he has grown stronger and increasingly lively over the past week.
Despite the expansive outdoor space, the rhino was captured on film staying extra close to his mum on their exploratory trot around.
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Both Najuma and dad Makibo, 8, joined YWP in 2018 as part of an international breeding programme to save the species, which is classed as critically endangered.
The calf already weighs 73kg (Yorkshire Wildlife Park)Najuma began showing early signs of pregnancy over a year ago, and was routinely monitored since. Gestation typically lasts between 15-16 months.
Director of Animals Dr Charlotte MacDonald said: ”This very special birth is fantastic news for everyone here at YWP. The news is particularly important because rhinos are a critically endangered species. The International Breeding Programme is very important for this species.
“Every birth is a milestone in our global conservation efforts. The aim is to ensure we are in a position to increase re-introductions into the wild. The newborn calf is becoming such a character and bound to become a visitor favourite.”
YWP’s ‘Into Africa!’ is now home to four Black Rhinos, who roam the 3-acre reserve.
Eastern Black Rhinos are the rarest of the three remaining subspecies. Between 1970 and 1992, their population declined by 96% to 2,300 after a devastating period of poaching for their horns.
But global conservation efforts meant the number of Black Rhinos has steadily increased to around 6,000. The European Breeding Programme currently holds around 100 of them in various wildlife parks and zoos.
Eastern Black Rhinos are the rarest of the 3-remaining subspecies (Yorkshire Wildlife Park)The Wildlife Foundation, a charity based at YWP, has worked closely with Save the Rhino International and Fauna and Flora International funding projects protecting them from poachers and preserving their habitat.
Visitors to the park have donated thousands to the Wildlife Foundation to support its vital conservation and welfare work.
Dr McDonald added: "We are proud of all the work that YWP and the Wildlife Foundation have done to support this wonderful species. We are very excited to follow the growth of the latest addition to our Rhino family.”
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The park in Auckley near Doncaster which puts conservation at the heart of all its activities, also offers visitors a unique walk-through experience, which allows them to come almost face-to-face with some of the world’s most beautiful and at-risk species, including Amur Leopards and tigers, the world’s largest group of polar bears.