Female Indian Rhino Calf Born in The Wilds, Southeast Ohio Refuge

The Wilds welcomed a newborn female greater one horned rhinoceros also known as Indian rhino, September 27.

This is the fifth female rhino calf welcomed at the Wilds, it was born to mother Dailey. The presence of a new member in the rhino family highlights the success of the Indian rhino breeding program in the conservation center in southeast Ohio.

The unnamed calf is the second calf born to father  'Rusutm' (10 years) and the third calf of  mother Dailey (17years). Sire Rustum is a part of a group brought from India by the San Diego Zoo in 2007 to bolster the U.S. one horned Rhino population.

"We get excited about every rhino birth, but this calf is special because it represents an important new bloodline for the North American breeding program," Dan Beetem, director of Animal Management, was quoted in Daily-Jeff.com.

The Wild officials' state that they plan on keeping the mother and calf together until the calf is needed for a future breeding program.

Poaching and loss of habitat are the major reasons behind their dwindling number. Listed as vulnerable species, the Indian rhinos are mostly found in north-eastern India. Currently, there are just 3,000 rhinos existing in the wild. Two thousand of them are in India alone.

The International Rhino Foundation data states that rhinos are a success story in conservation. In 1990, their numbers dropped to 200 in the wild and by 2005 their number rose to 3,200 in the wild and 150 in human care.