Iowa Zoogoers Introduced to Baby Rhino
She was a long time coming but Kamara, the baby black rhino, arrived at Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines on Friday, April 5. That followed the normal 15 to 16 month gestation period for her mom, Ayana. Kamara, which means moonlight, was more than 100 pounds at birth and is growing fast. Saturday, zoogoers got to see her for the first time:
Kamara got her name from an online contest.
Kamara enjoyed her first bath with her mom last month. Just look at these adorable photos:
If it looks like she's having fun in the photos, this video will definitely confirm it for you.
Kamara has a sibling at the zoo. Ayana gave birth to Kamara's older sister, Tumani, October 11, 2016. She was the only female black rhino born in the U.S. that year. She weighed 80 pounds at birth, and the zoo reports she now weighs more than 1600 pounds.
Blank Park Zoo has four of the approximately 50 endangered black rhinos being held in captivity in the U.S. There are believed to be less than 1,000 black rhinos left in the world. Blank Park Zoo is clearly doing a great job helping to save this species.