The 2013 baby watch continues.
This time, we’re back at the Atlanta Zoo and waiting for the birth of a rhinoceros.
Andazi, a 6-year-old eastern black rhinoceros, has a long birth window — late July to late November, though zoo officials say the baby rhino will likely appear in August or September.
Mom tips the scales at 2,400 lbs., and baby’s not likely to be a light-weight.
Rhino gestation averages 14 to 18 months, and calves usually weigh in at birth at 55 to 90 lbs.
Babies are born without horns — which is likely good news for mom.
Andazi will be off exhibit until she delivers her calf — a first for Zoo Atlanta.
Her mate, 8-year-old male Utenzi, will not share space with his new son or daughter. Black rhinos are solitary in the wild, zoo officials explain. The birth will be a first in 124 years for Zoo Atlanta, officials report.
Eastern black rhinos are a critically endangered species that was hunted almost to extinction in the 1980s. Their populations have experienced near-catastrophic decline in recent years, largely as a result of poaching for their horns and other body parts, which are believed by some cultures to have curative properties, zoo officials said.
Giant panda Lun Lun gave birth July 15 at Zoo Atlanta to twin boys. She and Yang Yang now have five male offspring.
About the Author
