Courtesy: Walt Disney World via Associated Press
Over the weekend, a 150-pound (68-kilogram) white rhinoceros was born at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
150-pounds… AT BIRTH.
The baby rhino, who has yet to be named, was birthed by Kendi, the first white rhinoceros born at the theme park back in 1999, reported the Associated Press.
According to a news release by Disney, the mother and son are doing well under the care of the park’s keepers.
The baby rhino is now the 11th of its kind to be born at Disney World, and two more are on the way, said Disney officials. The birth was a successful product of the Species Survival Plans monitored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
According to the AZA website, the SSP Program’s purpose is to “oversee the population management of select species within AZA member institutions (i.e., AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, Conservation Partners, and Certified Related Facilities (CRFs)) and to enhance conservation of this species in the wild.”
“Each SSP Program coordinates the individual activities of participating member institutions through a variety of species conservation, research, husbandry, management, and educational initiatives.”
The rhino is expected to be introduced to his crash — a group of rhinos — on the Animal Kingdom savanna within the coming weeks.
White Rhinos are the fifth-heaviest animal on earth and second largest on land and can weigh upwards of 8,000 pounds in some instances. Sadly, they are an endangered species in the near-threatened category, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
To learn more about the white rhino, click here.
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