After 16 months of waiting, Zoo Miami welcomed a baby Indian rhinoceros, calling the baby their biggest birth of the year.
The baby rhino is the first-ever successful birth of the species in any South Florida zoo, according to zoo officials. It is only the third captive birth of an Indian rhinoceros in the U.S. this year. The rhino's birth is also important internationally because of efforts to maintain a captive population.
"We have been trying to breed this species for 30 years here. I have been with the zoo for 32 years and I think this is the most excited anyone here has ever been," Ron Magill of Zoo Miami said. "This is really something exciting for me."
The baby rhino's parents came to the zoo on a breeding loan, according to the zoo. Kalu, the 11-year-old mother, came from the Bronx Zoo and arrived at Zoo Miami in 2004.
Suru, the father, came from the San Francisco Zoo. The pair will remain at Zoo Miami for the rest of their lives although they are technically owned by other places, Magill said.
Magill told NBC Miami that the parents of the newborn do not live together. The rhinos are solitary animals and are only in the same habitat for breeding purposes.
The Indian rhinoceros can weigh up to 6,000 pounds and is highly endangered. There are less than 3,000 of them in the wild and they only live in the protected areas of Nepal and India, according to zoo officials.
Zoo officials believe the baby is a female but will not know for sure until a neonatal exam is performed. To ensure that the mom and baby bond, the exam will not be done until the baby successfully nurses, according to officials.
The baby will be on display in a few weeks if everything goes as planned.
