Rare white rhino calf born at UK wildlife park – and it's absolutely adorable

03 March 2024 , 12:09

371     0

A southern white rhino calf has been born at Knowsley Safari Park (Image: PA)

A southern white rhino has given birth to an adorable calf at a safari park - and they're doing something very special to celebrate.

The female calf, who has not yet been named, was born to mother Bayami and father Shaka at Knowsley Safari near Liverpool after a 16-month pregnancy. The safari park said mother and baby are "doing well", and once the calf has undergone all her checks, she should be out on the safari drive in the coming weeks.

Bayami and Shaka recently found fame on Channel 4's Secret Life Of The Safari Park, which aired in January and February.
In episode six, which was filmed in autumn 2022, viewers saw sire Shaka attempting to mate with Bayami, but they did not find out that the mating had been successful.

Southern white rhino have been brought back from the brink of extinction but are still under threat from poaching in South Africa. The current white rhino population is around 17,000 so the birth is "extra special", Knowsley Safari said. The park has one of the largest white rhino crashes in the UK and their breeding helps to protect the rare and vulnerable species, it added.

The species are known as a conservation success story, now with a population of about 17,000 (PA)

On Mother's Day weekend on March 9 and 10, Knowsley Safari will allow one adult per car to enjoy the safari free of charge when they are with a full-paying child. Chris Smart, animal operations manager at Knowsley, says they had to do something special to celebrate the arrival.

Greggs, Costa & Pret coffees have 'huge differences in caffeine', says report

He said: "We can't think of a better way to mark the addition of another beautiful calf to the world's dwindling southern white rhino population than to celebrate motherhood with our Mother's Day free day out offer. We're sure they'll love the rhinos and the multitude of other animals and activities the safari has to offer."

Weeks ago, a park celebrating the birth of a critically endangered Black Rhino calf - one of the rarest mammals on earth. The award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, Yorkshire, 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.

Their home was the focus of a recent Channel 4 show Secret Life of the Safari Park (PA)

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. 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.

Sam Elliott-Gibbs