Prince William Overwhelmed With The Birth Of Two Rhinos Amid Extinction Possibilities

Rhinos are one of the animals marked as endangered. The good news, however, is that two protected female rhinos gave birth after the Duke of Cambridge bestowed them a royal set-off. Prince William is very much happy upon hearing the news regarding the rhinos' giving birth.

Before the rhinos were released in Africa back in 2012, they were bred in captivity at Kent. Grumeti and Zawadi, the name of the two female rhinos, were raised at the Aspinall Foundation's Port Lympne wildlife park. They were released into the wild near the Mount Kilimanjaro and was given a Royal Send-off by Prince William.

During their stay at Kent, Grumeti and Zawadi mated with another male rhino that also stays in the shelter. Experts monitored the rhinos and four years after they were released, the two rhinos gave birth. 

As reported by the Telegraph, Prince William said that "It's great to hear the news, the past few years have been a dark time for African rhinos. This success story reminds us what can be achieved by committing conservationists even in the face of considerable challenge." He added that it is incredibly difficult to get rhinos to breed in the wild, especially those that have experienced captivity before.

Prince William delighted as endangered rhinos give birth 4 years after he waved them off into the wild https://t.co/NDTfnHGLAC pic.twitter.com/zovVb2sU9D

— British Royals (@britishroyals) October 9, 2016

Grumeti and Zawadi gave birth to their calves after 15 months of pregnancy. The calves were healthy and weigh six stone. Experts estimated that the lifespan of the newborn rhinos is up to 50 years. But, they will stay with their mothers up to three or five years depending on their progress. Grumeti's calf was named Mobo while Zawadi's calf soes not have a name yet. 

Daniel Aspinall the chairman of Aspinall foundation said, "These births represent a remarkable and vital breakthrough in the Aspinall Foundation's efforts to protect this critically endangered species. Reintroduction combined with robust protection is an incredibly effective conservation tool, helping to protect habitat as well as repopulate a nearly extinct species," according to New York Times.