Monarto Safari Park welcomes birth of Southern White Rhinoceros calf



MONARTO, South Australia - Staff at the Monarto Safari Park in South Australia welcomed the birth of a Southern White Rhinoceros calf on Wednesday, July 22.

The calf, which has yet to be officially named, was born to mum Umqali shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday evening.

Staff said the calf arrived safely and was standing well, feeding and appeared calm and relaxed with her mother.

The calf is the seventh born to Umqali and will be one of six Southern White Rhinoceros currently at the zoo.

Monarto Safari Park Director Peter Clark said the newborn calf was a significant arrival for a species that is threatened with extinction.

“Nearly ten thousand animals have been lost to poaching in the wild in just the last 10 years with numbers surviving now thought to be less than 15,000,” Clark said.