Hello, big boy! Baby white rhino weighing nearly half a tonne meets the public for the first time as he chills with his mother
- Southern white rhino Da Zhuang or ‘Big Strong’ was born in Chimelong Safari Park in southern China
- The cute calf made his public debut last week at nine months old as he enjoyed a meal with his mother
- While southern white rhinos are populous, the other subspecies northern white rhinos are nearly extinct
- There are only two northern white rhinos left in the world, both are female and unable to bear calves
He may be little, but he is definitely strong.
A baby white rhino has made its public debut in China at nine months old, weighing a whopping 445 kilograms (981 pounds).
The male calf, nicknamed Da Zhuang or ‘Big Strong’, enjoyed a hearty meal with his mother last week in Chimelong Safari Park in southern China’s Guangzhou city.
Mother and son: Da Zhuang, a southern white rhino, was born in June last year weighing 48kg (105lb) in Chimelong Safari Park
Bon appetite! Male calf Da Zhuang enjoys a hearty meal with his mother as he meets the public for the first time in China
Da Zhuang’s name means big and strong in Chinese because keepers describe the baby rhino as a ‘big boy’ as he grows up
Da Zhuang is a southern white rhino. He was born on June 19 last year, weighing 48 kilograms (105 pounds).
He is described to be a ‘big boy’ by the keepers as his weight has increased nearly 10 times.
His father ‘Little Prince’ is the first southern white rhino bred by the park.
His mother ‘Southern Phoenix’ was introduced from South Africa in January, 2015. Da Zhuang is her first calf.
White rhinos are the second largest land mammals on the planet after elephants.
Around 98.8 per cent of them originate from four countries in Africa: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
Da Zhuang’s mother ‘Southern Phoenix’ was introduced from South Africa in January, 2015. Da Zhuang is her first calf
His father ‘Little Prince’ is the first southern white rhino bred by the safari park in southern China’s Guangdong Province
Around 98.8 per cent of white rhinos originate from four countries in Africa: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya
Contrary to what many people might believe, the word ‘white’ in their name doesn’t refer to the colour. It comes from ‘weit’ in the Afrikaans and means wide – referring to the animal’s mouth.
There are two types of white rhinos: the more populous southern white rhino and the near-extinct northern white rhino. They live in different parts of Africa and have different body shapes.
Although once thought to be extinct in the late 19th century, the southern white rhinos are the only of the five rhino species that are not endangered nowadays. There are 19,600 to 21,000 of them in the world, according to World Wildlife.
Contrary to what most people might believe, the word ‘white’ in white rhino’s name doesn’t refer to the animal’s colour
The word ‘white’ comes from ‘weit’ in the Afrikaans – a Germanic language – and means wide, referring to the animal’s mouth
The northern white rhinos are one of the rarest sub-species on Earth. There are only two female northern white rhinos left
In comparison, the northern white rhinos are one of the rarest subspecies on Earth. There are only two female northern white rhinos left and neither of them is able to bear calves.
The rhino mother and daughter – Najin, 30, and Fatu, 19 – live in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya.
The last male northern white rhino, 45-year-old Sudan, died in March last year. He was euthanised after suffering from degenerative muscle and bone condition.
The tragic fate of the northern white rhinos is the direct result of decades of rampant poaching by humans for their horns.