The black rhino, one of the world’s rarest mammals, was born in broad daylight at a UK zoo and the images are breathtaking. For such a large newborn, the female landed on the soft sandy floor of the enclosure with unexpected confidence. In a recent press release, keepers at Chester Zoo in Cheshire, England, said the calf has barely been separated from its mother since it was born on Sunday, November 12.

“We had been eagerly awaiting this birth for 15 months and as it is unusual for a rhino to give birth during the day, we really did not expect it to be right in front of us as we prepared.” says Emma Evijn, head of the rhino team at Chester Zoo. “It was an incredible privilege to see the calf emerge safely into the world before our eyes.”

The new ryno doesn’t have a name yet, but his mother’s name is Zuri. Evison says the calf is healthy, well-fed and “very curious and full of energy.” But overall, the species suffers. Once upon a time black rhinos (Diceros bicornisThey number in the tens of thousands in Africa, but only about 6,500 individuals remain in the wild today. Many subspecies have become extinct, and many of those that still exist are in danger of extinction due to ongoing poaching and habitat loss. Eastern black rhinos were only recently brought back from the brink of extinction. Zuri and calf also belong to this subspecies.

“Unfortunately, this species was hunted and poached for more than a century for its horns before being sold in illegal wildlife markets,” says Evison. “The arrival of this precious newborn is another positive step in the conservation of the species aimed at by the Endangered Species Breeding Program in European Conservation Zoos that we pioneer.”

Experts at Chester Zoo have been breeding black rhinos for many years and, together with other European zoos, are trying to maintain a genetically healthy population of black rhinos in Africa.

One of the ways Chester Zoo has been successful is through careful monitoring of reproductive hormones in rhino cubs. This is how zoo keepers figure out which male and female should meet each other and when. In 2019, Chester Zoo helped deliver an ambitious project to return a large group of eastern black rhinos bred in European zoos to a national park in Rwanda.

Today, there are fewer than 600 eastern black rhinos in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Although these populations appear to be slowly increasing after intensive conservation measures have been implemented, time is working in the species’ favor. Each black rhino mother can only have one calf at a time, and their gestation period, or pregnancy, lasts up to 16 months. As poaching and habitat loss continues, some scientists believe captive breeding programs are critical to the survival of the species.

“Zuri and her new arrival are a testament to the unwavering commitment of conservationists in Chester and around the world who work to protect these incredible animals and ensure they thrive in the future,” says Mike Jordan, Director of Animals. and plants at Chester Zoo.

Even in the face of such a tragedy, it is impossible not to be hopeful while watching Zuri and her cub run side by side.