Colchester Zoo Southern White Rhino Astrid is pregnant
The zoo is expecting a calf to arrive early next year
Colchester Zoo is expecting a new arrival early next year - as Southern White Rhino Astrid is pregnant with a second calf.
Vets at the zoo confirmed the news last week and are expecting the baby to be born between January and March next year.
Southern White Rhino calves spend between 16 and 18 months in the womb.
Astrid's pregnancy was confirmed by analysing her hormone levels. The dad is Colchester Zoo's resident male rhino Otto.
Otto has previously sired five calves, having moved to the zoo in 2009 from a safari park in Denmark.
Astrid arrived in 2016 from Cotswold Wildlife Park. She gave birth to a male calf back in October 2020.
Southern White Rhinos are classed as 'near threatened' in the wild, with the species being hunted for its ivory.