A critically endangered black rhino or eastern two-horned rhino was born behind the scenes at Safari Park Dvur Králové @SafariParkDvurKralove in Czech Republic. It’s the first birth for mom Molly, but she is taking good care of her young female calf. The Safari Park is a world power in the breeding of these animals and has already taken several animals back to Africa.

"This female weighed 28 kilos for her species after birth, about average for the species. Not long after giving birth, mother Molly started to nurse the cub and it is still doing well today," says zoologist Jiří Hrubý, who is in charge of rhino breeding at the safari park. "Molly is a first-time, so we are keeping the barn especially quiet." The calf was born on December 13, 2022 shortly after midnight.

The father is – as in the case of the male calf Kyiv from February 2022 – the breeding male Davu. The baby remains in the behind-the-scenes stable and paddock. She is not visible to visitors. Moving her to the exhibit is not possible - the facility is at full capacity due to the planned reconstruction of another of the pavilions.

Nursing without problems so far. The breeders therefore took the opportunity and the female Molly, who is willing to cooperate thanks to training, regularly spits out milk that freezes. This could be useful in case of breeding problems in the future, not only in the safari park, but also in some of the other partner gardens.

To date, the Safari Park has raised 48 eastern two-horned rhinoceros calves, including this small female, and is involved in worldwide efforts to save the species. In recent years, two-horned rhinoceroses from Dvur Králové have headed back to Africa, specifically to Tanzania and Rwanda.

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