A rare Indian rhino was born at Zoo Wroclaw on January 6, the first time the zoo has welcomed a baby Indian rhinoceros in its 255-year history.
The female calf was born to seven-year-old mom Maruška, and 11-year-old father Manas, around 5:17 pm on the day Poland celebrated the Epiphany.
"It was my birthday, and I got the best gift I could ever dream of. The labour was quick, and the first time mom Maruška knew immediately what to do. Visitors cannot see the baby yet, but she will stay with us for at least two years, so there will be plenty of time to visit. For now, we have to wait until the calf grows a little and it gets warmer outside," said Justyna Nowicka, an animal keeper at the Wrocław zoo.
"Maruška, a first-time mom, behaves wonderfully," zoo president Radoslaw Ratajszczak said in a statement. "She looks after her daughter, allows her to nurse, and is very delicate, despite weighing more than 2 tons.
"When she lies down, she's very careful not to crush the little one, and even gently moves her aside."
The Indian rhinoceros was close to extinction until a protection programme was implemented in the 1970s. Now some 3,600 rhinoceros are known to exist, however, the species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
