Pembrokeshire zoo announces birth of rare baby rhino
The eastern black rhino calf, which is yet to be named, was born at Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire on Thursday
A family-run zoo has announced the birth of a rare baby rhino.
The eastern black rhino calf, which is yet to be named, was born at Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire on Thursday and on its feet within just a few hours.
Born to mother Dakima, the baby boy belongs to a species which is critically endangered due to poaching and a loss of habitat.
He is the second to be born in Wales as part of a managed breeding programme and could, one day, be released into the wild to help boost population numbers.
Folly Farm said Dakima delivered her "bundle of joy" early in the morning, just before the keepers arrived to start their day.
Jack Gradidge, conservation officer, said: "Our rhino keeper opened up the rhino house and the first thing he saw was the security camera footage, where a tiny new-born rhino was seen happily padding about the enclosure.
"After quietly taking a sneaky peak at the beautiful new calf to confirm what he had seen, he let the team know the happy news that the baby had arrived."
Twelve-year-old Dakima arrived at Folly Farm in 2017 as part of the breeding programme and was paired with her mate, 14-year-old Nkosi.
The zoo says their relationship quickly "blossomed" and Dakima gave birth to her first calf, Glyndwr, in 2020.
Mr Gradidge said: "Dakima was a great mum with 'Glyn' so it's wonderful to see these instincts are still just as strong the second time around.
"She's being very protective of her new baby, showing they have a strong bond already.
"This is such a monumental event for all the staff here and the zoo team have worked incredibly hard to create an environment where the rhinos felt comfortable enough to mate."
Folly Farm's rhino keepers will monitor mother and baby closely over the coming weeks, and they will be back out in the enclosure in due course.
Visitors should not expect to see the calf for a while but Folly Farm will be posting updates on its social media channels.
Mr Gradidge added: "For us, the next steps are just to keep an eye on Dakima and make sure the calf stays healthy and gets everything he needs from mum.
"Our goal is always to let nature take its course and interfere as little as possible."