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Meet Ashakiran, the Adorable Indian Rhino Born at the Toronto Zoo
Meet Ashakiran, the tiny and adorable baby Indian rhino that was born at the Toronto Zoo during a late night on February 17.
The baby male calf was born to proud mom, Asha, 11 years old, and dad, Vishnu, 12 years old.
The zoo staff called the birth of the baby rhino very important since Indian rhinos are listed as “vulnerable,” with only 2,000-3,000 left in the wild.
“The calf appears to be healthy and feeding well,” the zoo shared in a post on Instagram. “But the first 30 days are critical and staff will continue to monitor them both closely.”
The Toronto Sun shared this is Asha’s first surviving calf. Previously the rhino had given birth to a stillborn in 2011 and has had trouble maintaining a pregnancy since then. Together with the help and partnership of the Cincinnati Zoo and oral progesterone, she was able to carry the rhino to full term.
We’re ecstatic to announce that Ashakiran, our 11 year old Indian rhinoceros, gave birth to a male calf on Wednesday at…
Posted by The Toronto Zoo on Friday, February 19, 2016
Right now the baby rhino and mom are not on display. This is the first baby rhino at the zoo since August 1999.
The baby Indian rhino joins other newborn animals at the zoo in recent months including a polar bear and giant panda twins.
