A Czech zoo has welcomed an endangered rhinoceros into their family, naming the baby ‘Kyiv’ in honour of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia.
The eastern black rhino was born at the Dvur Kralove zoo, about an hour and a half drive out from the main capital of Prague.
The rhinoceros was even delivered early, a rare occurrence for the facility, even though it contains most rhinos belonging to the subspecies.
Dvur Kralove zoo Director Premysl Rabas said: “The name is another expression of our support for the Ukrainian heroes.”
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Kyiv is growing quickly as well as taking her first steps outside the enclosure last week. The animals is gaining around 1 kilogram a day, and currently weighs in at about 50 kilograms.
Kyiv’s mother Eva is said to be taking care of him in the best possible way as he approaches two weeks of age.
Only three other eastern black rhinos have been born in zoos around the world in the last year, with 47 born at the zoo since the first one arrived back in 1971.
Many of the rhinos now live in various zoos around the world, with nine of them recently returning to Rwanda and Tanzania to live in the wild.
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The zoo works at protecting the species which has become critically endangered due to poaching. The wild population of the species sits at around 800.
The eastern black rhinos are generally found in the wild in southern and eastern Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe.
The Safari Park in Dvur Kralove is the second largest zoo in the Czech Republic and its most significant mission to protect threatened wildlife species, specialising in African animals.
The zoo has the largest group of African animals in Europe, while they also put efforts into saving the northern white rhinos, who are now on loan to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
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Kyiv becomes one of 14 rhinos currently residing in the zoo.
Topics: Ukraine
Jayden Collins