White rhino calf born in British zoo

October 16, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: News

The white rhino calf was the first example of a rhino born through artificial insemination in the UK.

The Colchester Zoo in Essex announced the birth of a baby white rhino, the first example of a white rhino born in the U.K. using the process of artificial insemination.

The white rhino calf, named Zamba, was born on October 3 and weighed nine and a half stone at birth. His mother, Cynthia, had been pregnant with baby Zamba for 16 months. The calf’s father, Simba, died in April.

The calf was originally kept indoors the first few days to protect it, but is now running about and can be seen by zoo goers.

”We are obviously delighted by the safe arrival of baby Zamba, a first for Colchester Zoo,” said Anthony Tropeano, the zoological director of Colchester Zoo.

”It is all the more special because it is the first successful insemination of a white rhino in the U.K., which is a critical development in the research work that the Berlin Institute is leading.”

The IVF treatment used by the zoo was developed by experts at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. The majority of the work done at the institute focuses on helping the survival and reproduction of animals in both the wild and in captive environments.