The Kansas City Zoo says only about 740 Eastern Black Rhinos are left in the wild, and just 53 in the in facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. But the zoo made an announcement that one more will be added to the population of the critically-endangered subspecies. Zuri, an Eastern Black Rhinoceros, gave birth to a calf at the Kansas City Zoo on New Year’s Eve morning. Mom and baby are both “doing well,” the zoo says and they report the calf is walking, nursing and even playing spar with its mom. They says Zuri has been a patient and attentive first-time mother. The rhino barn is being kept quiet with limited human interaction to allow mother and calf plenty of time to bond, which is a very important process. Once they’ve had that bonding time, a neonatal exam will be performed in the coming weeks to confirm gender and overall health. Once the gender is know, the zoo says they will allow the public to participate in the naming of the calf. Both Zuri and father, Ruka, arrived in Kansas City from the Oregon Zoo April 2018.
