12 March 2012
It's a girl. Hamilton Zoo has welcomed a new baby rhinoceros following the safe arrival of an un-named southern white calf.
Born last week, it is the sixth rhino to be born at the zoo and the seventh to be bred there (a pregnant rhino was transferred to Australia Zoo in August 2010).
The new calf, around 60kg at birth (it won't be weighed for another week), is the second for mother Moesha, 18, and the fourth for father Kruger, 23, and brings the zoo's herd population to seven.
Samantha Kudeweh, the zoo's mammals team leader, who is also coordinator for the Australasian region's white rhino breeding programme, said that while the birth of the calf was exciting for staff and visitors, it was also significant for the species.
''Zoo populations have an important role to play in the conservation of species such as rhinos,'' she said.
Kudewah said rhinos bred and housed in zoos, such as this new calf, served as ambassadors for wild populations and conservation projects, as well as providing genetically sound reserve populations in case of major decline.
''Southern white rhino have been a major success story of wildlife conservation - while their numbers were reduced to less than 100 animals in the early 1900s, conservation efforts have seen the wild population increase to over 20,000 as at the end of 2010.''
However there had been a dramatic increase in poaching in the past two years, with the black market price for rhino horn driven by its perceived value as a traditional Asian medicine remedy.
