SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The San Diego Zoo Safari Park announced the birth of a male white rhino born at the Nikita Rhino Resource Center.
Zoo officials said the “healthy, confident and full of energy” calf was born on Aug. 6 to first-time mom Livia and father J Gregory through natural breeding.
“We are so pleased Livia and her calf are doing so well,” said Jonnie Capiro, lead wildlife care specialist, San Diego Zoo Safari Park. “Seeing this energetic little rhino running around, wallowing in the mud, and just being generally curious is very rewarding. While this is the first time Livia has given birth, we expected she would be a great mother—and she proves this every day.”
Livia has had experience caring for an orphaned calf named Arthur, who arrived at the Rhino Rescue Center in 2020. This experience has helped her become a very attentive and protective mother to the new calf.
Crashing your feed with big news 🦏 First-time mom Livia gave birth to a healthy baby boy at the Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center. pic.twitter.com/dTzkuwKsyJ
— San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (@sandiegozoo) August 22, 2022
“All rhino births are significant, and this calf’s birth represents an essential step in San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Northern White Rhino Initiative, showing Livia can carry a calf to term and care for her offspring,” said Barbara Durrant, Ph.D., director of reproductive sciences, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “This is vitally important, as Livia is now among the female rhinos at the Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center who could potentially serve in the future as a surrogate mother to a northern white embryo.”
Livia and the calf will remain in a private habitat for a while to allow time to continue to bond. The calf will eventually be introduced to the other rhinos living at the Rhino Resource Center. The rhinos include five other adult females, an adult male, one-year-old Arthur, Edward, and Future, both born at the center in 2019 following hormone-induced ovulation and artificial insemination.
For more information, visit sdzsafaripark.org.
