The gender reveal party of the Oregon Zoo’s newest rhino is happening months after the little guy was born.
The Oregon Zoo’s critically endangered baby black rhino was born on Dec. 4 to mom Jozi at about 9:30 p.m. At birth, newborn rhinos weigh about 100 pounds. Now, the Oregon Zoo said he weighs about 224 pounds.
But, according to a photo from the zoo, the rhino calf has yet to outgrow his cuteness.
It took some time for keepers to determine the sex of the rhino baby.
“We’re giving Jozi and her calf plenty of space to bond,” said Chad Harmon, who supervises the zoo’s rhino area, in a press release, “so we weren’t sure if the calf was a boy or a girl until the vet team paid him a visit – though we had our guesses.”
Most of the time, the calf and his mom are outside of view for zoo visitors, spending time together inside. But, when temperatures got above 60 in Portland last weekend, the zoo said, the calf headed outside for the first time.
“He poked his little head out and walked around for a few minutes,” Harmon said. “Then he went back into the barn with Mom and took a nap.”
Still, most visitors won’t get a chance to see the baby rhino, who doesn’t have a name yet, until things warm up for real, in the spring.
The new rhino’s parents, Jozi and King, are part of the critically endangered eastern subspecies of black rhinoceros.
“Poaching and the illegal wildlife trade have wiped out 96% of the world’s black rhino population,” said Kelly Gomez, who oversees the zoo’s Africa area, in the press release when the calf was born. “In South Africa alone, we’re losing almost a rhino a day. Hopefully, their story can help inspire a new chapter in the conservation of this incredible species.”
