Greater one-horned rhinos typically give birth in the wee hours of the morning or at night.
When they saw this rhino giving birth in the afternoon at Chester Both in Cheshire, England, zoo visitors and zoo officials were horrified!
On October 14, 2022, at 4:24 pm, 15-year-old Asha gave birth to a 50 kg baby.
Since larger one-horned rhinos give birth to their younglings when they are about 15 months old, zookeepers have been impatiently awaiting the calf’s birth. After all, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has already categorized these rhinos as “vulnerable to extinction” (IUCN).
Only 3,000 larger one-horned rhinos are thought to exist in the wild at this time, predominantly in India and Nepal.
Additionally, unlawful poaching puts them in danger of going extinct.
“With Asha and her new arrival, we are over the moon. Greater one-horned rhino calves have been born at Chester Zoo for the past four years, and they are very amazing to see, according to Sam Harley, rhino team manager at Chester Zoo.
The Chester Zoo directors have made the decision to hold a contest to help name the new rhino to increase excitement over the animal.
RINO BORN… AND YOU COULD AID US IN NAMMING HER! The image of mother Asha giving birth to her 50 kg calf is simply amazing. Select your favorite from the three names listed below by leaving a comment on Chester Zoo’s Facebook page.
Three options were presented for selection. Jiya, which means sunshine, Bahula, which means star, or Thuli, which is a river in Nepal. Which would you choose?
Many of the page’s followers favor Jiya because she is a “ray of sunshine” and “gives new hope to the breed.” There is definitely still time to cast your vote on Chester Zoo’s Facebook page since they haven’t yet revealed the official name.
They had previously realized Asha was lethargic and hadn’t been eating on the day she gave birth.
They probably didn’t anticipate Asha to give birth at the time she did, but they had a suspicion she was likely to give birth shortly. When Asha’s water broke, it took 14 minutes for the 50 kilogram baby rhino, who will eventually weigh 1.17 tonnes, to arrive.
“Seeing such a unique event was truly a privilege. Sam Harley continued, “Mum and calf have been so peaceful and at ease, spending time side by side bonding with one another.
The only zoo in the UK having an on-site endocrinology lab is Chester Zoo.
They were able to meticulously follow Asha’s pregnancy thanks to this, week by week.
According to John O’Hanlon, a laboratory technician at Chester Zoo, “doing an ultrasound with an Indian rhino, and that extraordinarily thick skin. isn’t simple, but by collecting and analyzing monthly samples of Asha’s dung, we’re able to track the pregnancy to check how mum and calf are doing.”
The Chester Zoo team is willing to do all of this to protect the rhinos.
Unfortunately, poachers target these larger one-horned rhinos to obtain their horns for use in specific traditional Asian remedies that have not been scientifically confirmed to be effective.
Even if their conservation efforts are ongoing, they continue them if doing so will help preserve these endangered species alive.
John O’Hanlon continued, “It’s a wonderful feeling to know that you are helping to save so many priceless creatures from extinctio
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