© 2024 Public Radio Tulsa
800 South Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
(918) 631-2577

A listener-supported service of The University of Tulsa
classical 88.7 | public radio 89.5
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Baby Rhinoceros Born at Oklahoma City Zoo

Oklahoma City Zoo & Botanical Garden Facebook

  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Zoo has a new baby boy: an Indian rhinoceros born Saturday.

The zoo says the male calf was born to a 7-year-old female rhinoceros named Niki. The calf's father is 28-year-old rhinoceros Chandra.

The zoo says the calf is the fourth Indian rhino born at the zoo since the facility added the species in 1981.

The gestation period for Indian rhinos is about 16 months, and calves have an average birth weight of 120 pounds. According to the zoo, newborn Indian rhinos are born without the distinctive horn of adult rhinos and instead have a smooth, oval plate that eventually forms into a horn.

Zoo staff is monitoring Niki and the newborn calf around-the-clock as the pair bonds.