Female rhino gives birth to her “rare white” baby

The female southern white rhino gave birth to her new baby, at 4 am, on Saturday, August 21, and the British Zookeepers (Whipsnade Wild Animals) named her “Nandy”, which means “sweet”.

The southern white rhino is the second largest land mammal in the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, and there are approximately 10,000 southern white rhinos remaining in the wild, and their numbers are declining due to overfishing, habitat loss, the introduction of invasive species and changing climate. The climate as well, according to the British “ZSL” website.

Zoo team leader Mark Holden says: “We are delighted to welcome this precious addition to the Southern White Rhino family at Whipsnade Zoo.

Holden added: “The southern white rhino is born with large, soft, floppy feet, so it is clear that Nandy is wobbly in her gait.”

As the team leader explained, “The rhinos spend most of the first week or two resting and drinking milk, but over the next few weeks they will grow, become more playful and confident exploring their huge presence here.”

He continued: “Mother Tully is very much in charge of protecting Nandi at the moment, so we allow them to rest away from the group and out of the eyes of visitors, but in a few days they will both start to feel more confident about going out and getting to know the rest of the group.”