Fota Wildlife Park has announced the birth of a baby Indian rhino, the first ever to be born in the Park and in Ireland.
The baby Indian rhino was born on the 19th of September, after a gestation period of 16 months, to mother, Maya and father, Jamil.
The yet unnamed male calf is the second of only three Indian rhino calves born in any zoological institution this year.
The Indian rhino is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, with 3,300 living in the wild. The illegal trade of poaching rhino horn for traditional medicine poses the biggest threat to the species.
Maya was born in Rotterdam Zoo and is almost ten years old. She came to Fota Wildlife Park in early 2020, just before Covid-19, as part of the ex-situ European Endangered Breeding Programme (EEP) from the French Zoo, the Botanical Garden Branfér, Nantes. She is the only female Indian rhino residing in any Irish zoological organisation.
Jamil, who is nine years old, was born in ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in the UK and came to Fota Wildlife Park in June 2015. Both rhinos weigh approximately two tonnes each.
Lead Ranger Aidan Rafferty said:
“Fota Wildlife Park is delighted to announce the first baby Indian rhino, hopefully, the first birth of many to come. Both mother and baby are doing really well. Maya is very protective and is constantly by his side. We’re delighted to see the little calf running around and playing. He is an absolutely gorgeous animal, and he’s getting stronger and more curious every day."
