Advertisement

White rhino gives birth to calf at Toronto Zoo after 11 years in the facility

White rhino Sabi and her newborn calf are shown in a handout photo. Toronto Zoo officials say Sabi gave birth to a healthy calf just before 8 a.m. on Thursday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Toronto Zoo

A white rhino calf was born at the Toronto Zoo this week.

Zoo officials say a rhino named Sabi gave birth to a healthy calf just before 8 a.m. on Thursday.

This is the 14-year-old rhino’s first calf.

The zoo says Sabi arrived there in 2012 and her long reproductive cycles made conception a challenge.

The zoo staff made adjustments to Sabi’s daily care and diet, and her behaviour suggested that her hormonal cycles had switched to the typical length of 30 days in the spring of last year.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Officials say the breeding introduction of Sabi with white rhino male Tom in the summer of 2022 was successful.

White rhinos in the wild are listed as “near threatened” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

Story continues below advertisement

There are fewer than 16,000 left in the wild, with numbers declining due to habitat loss and the continued increase in poaching for their horns in the illegal wildlife trade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2023.

Click to play video: 'Proof is in the poop: Researches monitor stress of deer through their feces'
Proof is in the poop: Researches monitor stress of deer through their feces

Sponsored content

AdChoices