Rare white rhinoceros born in Israeli zoo

Arare white rhinoceros has been born in a zoo in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, a zoo official said Saturday.

“This baby rhino, a male, was born early on Friday afternoon without any problems,” said Netta Guetta, who heads the African animals department, adding that the newcomer has yet to be named. “This is an extremely rare event in captivity, and it’s touching. Immediately after giving birth, the mother tenderly licked her calf and began to breastfeed.”

The 20-year-old mother, named Tanda, weighs two tonnes and comes from South Africa.

She had already given birth once at Ramat Gan Zoo, where she has been for around six years.

The white rhinoceros is an endangered species.

There are fewer than around 10,000 white rhinoceros worldwide as the large mammals are killed by poachers for their horns, which are then trafficked to Asia, where they are falsely believed to have medicinal properties.

Baz Ratner, Reuters Tanda, a white rhinoceros, stands next to her one-day old calf at the Ramat Gan Safari near Tel Aviv on Saturday. There are fewer than 10,000 white rhinos worldwide.