A new rhinoceros calf has been taking its first steps at Israel’s Ramat Gan Safari zoo.
By Algemeiner Staff
According to Hebrew news site Mako, the baby rhino was born to Keren Peles, an adult rhinoceros who had given birth to another calf, Kifanzi, three and a half years earlier.
Zookeepers were alerted to the birth by a change in Keren’s behavior. She began to push her other calf aside, and keepers attempted to place her in a fenced area, but were unable to do so before the birth.
The mother and calf were kept in an isolated area for the first few weeks after the birth, until the curious calf managed to escape the enclosure on her own, followed by her mother.
The calf’s encounter with its father was less positive, as the bull Atari proved to be aggressive toward her. Keren reportedly fended off Atari and did not allow him to approach the calf.
There have been 31 rhinoceros calves born at Ramat Gan Safari, and the latest has not yet been named. A list of Swahili names has been drawn up, all beginning with the letter K.