Baby white rhino born at SA zoo

Keepers at Monarto Zoo in South Australia say a newborn southern white rhino gives hope for the endangered species.

With her big nose and little feet, a newborn rhino has charmed the khakis off zookeepers in South Australia.

The female southern white rhino calf was born in the early hours of Saturday at the open-range Monarto Zoo, south-east of Adelaide.

Large mammal keeper Haidee Kinter says the bub and mum Umqali are doing well and the birth has thrilled zoo staff.

"With their prehistoric build, abnormally small feet in comparison to their body size and docile nature, its hard ... not to fall in love with these amazing animals," she said.

"It's especially exciting for zookeepers to see the animals they care for healthy, happy and breeding."

Ms Kinter says the poaching of endangered southern white rhinos is on the rise in their natural habitat in South Africa, with more than 1200 killed in the region in the past year.

"We must increase our efforts to safeguard and breed rhinos in protected places like zoos and wildlife sanctuaries," she said.

"This beautiful girl will act as a wonderful ambassador for her species, building awareness for the plight of rhinos in the wild."

Visitors are expected to be able to see the calf at Monarto Zoo, which is home to six other southern whites, in the coming weeks.


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Source: AAP


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