The five-day-old Eastern black rhino – a species which is classed by conservationists as critically endangered – is the second calf to be born at Chester Zoo in just six months.
Born to mum Malindi, the calf has been called Dakima, which in Swahili means ‘the joy of living’.
Her arrival is another step towards sustaining a black rhino population which, in the wild, has been devastated by poachers.
Mum Malindi is seven years old. It’s her first calf and she is quickly learning the art of good parenting.
Our Curator of Mammals, Tim Rowlands, said:
“Malindi is so far doing a great job. Being a mum for the first time she’s naturally protective but she’s doing really well and both her and her calf seem very happy.”
There are thought to be less than 650 Eastern black rhinos remaining in the wild, placing the species perilously close to extinction.
The new calf will eventually join the international breeding programme, which has already seen some black rhinos returned to Africa to help boost numbers.
The baby rhino and mum are currently off-show to visitors while the pair is given privacy and time to get to know one another.
We’ll be sure to bring you news and updates as soon as we have them.
Take a look at our Act for Wildlife website for more about our rhino conservation projects in the wild and how you can get involved.