Indian Rhinoceros Calf Is Born at Sosto Zoo
January 24, 2023
The birth of this baby Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is a huge zoological success. It required serious expertise to breed these solitary animals. They rarely breed in human care.
Since the female rhino is only fertile for a few days, the caretakers monitored her continuously, while the veterinary team tested hormone levels weekly to find the most optimal time for mating.
After a successful rendezvous, the pregnancy of the rhinoceros cow was continuously examined by zoo veterinarians and the development of the calf was monitored with ultrasound examinations and blood sampling. As the pregnancy progressed, the caretakers monitored the first-time mom through a camera system in the evenings. She gave birth to her calf on November 4, 2022 at 19:56.
Nyíregyháza Zoo’s group is the only breeding herd of Indian rhinoceros in all of Hungary. The herd consists of 3 sexually mature animals, all brought to Nyíregyháza within the framework of the European Endangered Species Breeding Program (EEP).
The oldest cow, 14-year-old Jázmin, gave birth to her calf in 2018 (that offspring was the first to be born in Hungary). Now 18-year-old sire Hans has a baby by the other cow, 11-year-old Aruna.
The “little” 150kg animal has just been named! Zookeepers have chosen the Asian name Aman, which means peace.