CUMBERLAND -- The Wilds welcomed a female greater one-horned rhinoceros, also known as the Indian rhino, on Sept. 27. The calf was born in pasture and is doing well alongside mother, "Dailey."
The birth of the greater one-horned rhino calf, the fifth born at the Wilds, marks the continuing success of the Indian rhino breeding program at the conservation center located in southeast Ohio. This calf is the third calf for 17-year-old "Dailey "and the second for 10-year-old sire "Rustum" who is part of a group brought from India by the San Diego Zoo in 2007 to bolster the genetics of the U.S.one-horned rhino population.
"We get excited about every rhino birth," said Dan Beetem, director of Animal Management, "but this calf is special because it represents an important new bloodline for the North American breeding program."
There are now five Indian rhinos and 13 white rhinos at the Wilds. The calf will remain with "Dailey" and the herd until she is needed to support the Species Survival Plan.
There are five species of rhinoceros; black and white rhinos are found in Africa and the greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhinos are found in Asia. Despite some conservation success stories all rhino species are in peril from poaching and loss of habitat.
Characteristics of the Indian rhino include a single horn that grows to be 8 to 24 inches long, and brownish-gray, hairless bodies with folds of skin that resemble plates of armor. They can grow to be 4,800 pounds and 6 feet tall at their shoulder.
According to the International Rhino Foundation, an organization that receives support from the Wilds, these rhinos are a success story in conservation. Their population had dwindled to 200 in 1990, and by 2005, the estimated populations have grown to 3,200 in the wild, and 150 in human care.
Source:http://www.daily-jeff.com
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