Meet my young charge
Last updated 15:14, Friday, 15 August 2008
STAFF at the South Lakes Wild Animal Park are overjoyed about a record breaking new arrival.
By Richard Morris
Sunday lunchtime saw the birth of the first rhino ever in Cumbria.
The event was captured on a web camera set up in mother Ntombi’s pen and beamed out across the world over the internet.
The arrival of the rare female baby white rhino, named Nyala, has been hailed as one of the most important births in the history of the attraction by park director David Gill.
And more good news is on the cards with Tala, the park’s second female white rhino, also expected to give birth within days.
With a gestation period of 16 months, everyone has had a long wait holding their breath for Ntombi’s firstborn.
There was some concern mounting as she was very late, running about one month overdue.
A thrilled Mr Gill said: “This is the first opportunity that we have had for breeding and both our females were pregnant.
“We have had a webcam on them and so people all over the world could see the baby being born.
“The birth was perfect because she lay facing the camera.”
After months of waiting, all of a sudden Ntombi’s waters broke and minutes later Nyala’s legs popped out.
The mother immediately bonded with her calf and began to lick it as the youngster spent the next hour trying to get to its feet.
Mr Gill said: “It was a fantastic day for us. It is the biggest birth we have had.
“The other female is due any day within the next month or so. It is absolutely amazing.
“To me personally it is equal to seeing my kids being born, because it is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long, long time.
“There are not many people who breed white rhinos. I think there were only two born in Europe last year.”
Ntombi and Tala came to the park in 2003. You can see footage of the birth by logging on to the park’s website at www.wildanimalpark.co.uk
Visitors will be able to see the baby on the zoo’s TV screen and hopefully, if all goes well, the pair will be on show within a few days.
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