The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is celebrating the birth of an endangered back rhinoceros calf, the second born at the Zoo since 2014.
The calf was born Wednesday afternoon and is doing well, zoo officials said.
“She is an ambassador for her cousins in the wild and provides us with an opportunity to educate our visitors about the plight of wild rhinos and how support of conservation efforts worldwide is critical to the preservation of the species,” Dr. Barbara Baker, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, said in a news release.
The calf is the first eastern black rhino born this year in North America. The zoo said there are only 450 eastern black rhinos in Africa.
“Despite the efforts to eliminate poaching, the number of rhinos killed each year for their horns continues to grow,” Baker said.
The calf and its mother will not be on exhibit to the public until after they have had the appropriate amount of time to bond, and until weather and temperature conditions are ideal.
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