Toronto Zoo announces birth of white rhino calf

The Toronto Zoo says that one of its white rhinoceroses gave birth to a healthy calf Thursday morning.

According to officials, the calf was born around 8 a.m. on Dec. 28 to a 14-year-old rhino named Sabi. Pregnancy in white rhinos can last about 16 months.

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This is Sabi’s second calf. Her first one, named Theo, was born in 2018 and left Toronto in late 2021.

“Staff have been working overnight shifts to make sure someone was always with Sabi through the later stages of her pregnancy. They’ve been ‘baby-proofing’ the habitat and the veterinarian team have been keeping a very close eye on her, particularly over the last few months to ensure we did everything possible to help bring a healthy calf into the world,” the zoo said in a statement.

Sabi and her offspring are being given space to bond and will not be viewable to guests of the zoo at this time, the zoo said.

The zoo is hopeful that the baby will be viewable in the spring.

In lieu of in-person visits, the zoo posted video of the birth to its Youtube page. The video shows the calf taking its first steps and interacting with its mother for the first time.

White rhinos are listed as Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

According to the zoo, there are fewer than 16,000 left in the wild.

The zoo said it has created the Wilding Rhino Conservation Fund in honour of the calf’s birth. This foundation will support organizations that protect while rhinos.