Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens welcomes baby rhino

A baby rhino has become the newest addition at Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens.

D'ora, who is the seventh rhino to be born at the park, is said to be healthy and nursing well from her mother.

Her father Monty and her mother Nancy made the journey to the UK from South Africa 11 years ago. It was hoped that one day they would successfully produce the Park’s first-ever rhino calf.

Four years later, Nancy gave birth to her first child named Astrid, going on to give birth to six other calves including D'ora.

She will remain under the watchful eye of her mother, suckling from her for around a year. Credit: Rory Carnegie

Females only reproduce every two-and-a-half to five years, so the window of opportunity for successful reproduction is limited.

After a gestation period of sixteen to eighteen months, a single calf is born.

The bond between calf and mother is said to be intensely strong with the calf remaining with her mother for at least two years     Credit: Rory Carnegie

White rhinos like D'ora were once very rare and were on the verge of extinction in the early 1900s, when it was believed only 20 to 50 remained in their native African homeland.

But thanks to sustained protection, they are now one of the most common rhino species.

However, poaching has escalated in the last five years to serious levels.

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