black rhinoceros

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomes a new member to its black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) family with the birth of an 80-pound male rhino calf on August 29. The birth of this endangered species is important for the conservation of black rhinos. There are only an estimated 2,400 black rhinos in the wild, down from 65,000 just 20 years ago. The baby brings the black rhino group at the adventure park to five, including its mother Jumatano and father Jasper. Typical to newborn calves, the baby rhino is already walking and nursing comfortably with Jumatano. The newborn is the first black rhino born in the park since Jumatano's birth five years ago, and the male calf is a third generation rhino at Busch Gardens. This rhino birth is part of an American Zoo & Aquarium Association (AZA) approved Species Survival Plan, a program developed among accredited zoological institutions to conserve endangered species such as the black rhino.

A rhino calf commonly nurses up to two years, and its horn usually erupts after one year. When fully grown, rhinos are the third largest land animal, weighing up to 1.5 tons.

Learn more about the black rhinoceros