Two white rhinos born at Oxfordshire wildlife park within a week - but what did keepers name them?

Watch: Two baby white rhinos find their feet after being born at Cotswold Wildlife Park as ITV News Meridian's Kara Digby reports


A wildlife park in Oxfordshire is celebrating another conservation milestone after the birth of not one, but two, baby white rhinos.

The rhino house usually draws a crowd, but visitors to Cotswold Wildlife Park are in for a treat following the birth of a baby boy to mum Ruby.

However just two days ago, not wanting to be left out, the park's other female Nancy gave birth to a girl.

For the Cotswold Wildlife Park, it means eleven white rhinos have been born here in eleven years. According to the keepers, they are providing lots of entertainment and have developed very different personalities.

Head Keeper Mark Godwin said: "He is an absolute tyrant - he's running mum ragged.

"When he's up, he is in and out very happily, confident going in and out on his own, which is quite unusual.

"It's like chalk and cheese with the girl. She is very steady. Mum's doing everything right; she's calm, very relaxed, she's staying with mum, very attentive, and they're just pottering around quite nicely.

"They're very much like tortoise and the hare going on - but both doing really well."

Henry pictured with mum Ruby. Credit: ITV Meridian

White rhinos are an endangered species and so once these youngsters are three years old, they will move on to other parks to help the global effort in protecting their kind.

Reggie Heyworth, director of the park, said: "A hundred years ago they were thought to be almost extinct and now there are almost 25,000 in the world. This is mostly through protection in South Africa, but also big zoo breeding programmes throughout Europe and the States and so on.

"So often in conservation one is hearing bad news about how the world is going to hell in a handcart. Actually the White Rhino, and what is going on here, is an example that conservation can work. It's something to be really proud about."

So what are their names? The boy has been named Henry, after the keeper Mark's son.

However the girl is yet to be named, so visitors will have to watch this space.


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