Rare video captures the first moments after the birth of Cincinnati Zoo's black rhino calf as it bonds with its mother

  • After 15-month pregnancy Cincinnati Zoo's black rhino Seyia gave birth to a healthy calf named Kendi 
  • Surveillance cameras inside the rhino barn recorded the birth and mother & baby's first moments 
  • The calf is only the fifth black rhino born in the last two years in North America 

The Cincinnati Zoo is celebrating another newborn, an eastern black rhino named Kendi, months after welcoming its now-famous young hippo, Fiona.

Caretakers haven't yet determined the gender of the rhino born Monday. They didn't want to interrupt the calf's bonding with its mother, Seiya, who had a 15-month pregnancy.

The zoo shared video of Kendi being born after a half-hour of labor and beginning to walk.

After 15-month pregnancy Cincinnati Zoo's black rhino Seyia gave birth to a healthy calf named Kendi

After 15-month pregnancy Cincinnati Zoo's black rhino Seyia gave birth to a healthy calf named Kendi

Surveillance cameras inside the rhino barn recorded the birth and mother & baby's first moments

Surveillance cameras inside the rhino barn recorded the birth and mother & baby's first moments

The calf is only the fifth black rhino born in the last two years in North America

The calf is only the fifth black rhino born in the last two years in North America

Kendi means 'the loved one' in Swahili. The name was chosen after a staff vote.

The zoo says visitors likely will be able to see the calf and its mother in their outdoor habitat in a couple of weeks, depending on the weather and the animals' health.

Dad, Faru, will still be out on display daily. Black rhinos are solitary animals, so there are no plans to unite the three as a family.

Kendi is the fifth eastern black rhino born in North America in the last two years. 

Every rhino calf born is incredibly important for the overall population, which includes fewer than 60 in North America. 

A black rhino adult can weigh anywhere between 1,700 and 3,080 pounds, and newborns calves weigh between 73 – 121 pounds

A black rhino adult can weigh anywhere between 1,700 and 3,080 pounds, and newborns calves weigh between 73 – 121 pounds

The public will be able to see Kendi and Seyia in their outdoor habitat in a couple of weeks, weather and health depending

The public will be able to see Kendi and Seyia in their outdoor habitat in a couple of weeks, weather and health depending

Calves will stay with their mothers for 3-4 years which means that the average female can only have one calf every 5 years,' said Christina Gorsuch, curator of mammals at the Cincinnati Zoo

'This calf is only the fifth eastern black rhino born in the last two years in North America. Only one surviving calf was born in 2014/2015.' 

In 2015, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan, the body that manages populations in Zoos, determined that parents Faru and Seyia were a good genetic match and recommended that they breed.

Calves will stay with their mothers for 3-4 years which means that the average female can only have one calf every 5 years

Calves will stay with their mothers for 3-4 years which means that the average female can only have one calf every 5 years

Faru came to Cincinnati from Atlanta in the summer of 2015 and was introduced to Seyia.

Eastern black rhinos, native to Eastern and Central Africa, have two large horns made of keratin that they use for defense, intimidation, and feeding.

 An adult can weigh anywhere between 1,700 and 3,000 pounds, while newborns weigh between 73 – 121 pounds.

The species is Critically Endangered due to poaching and habitat loss. 

Fewer than 5,000 black rhinos remain in the world, and approximately 60 are managed by zoo's in North American Zoos.

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