Adorable baby white rhino born at Whipsnade Zoo

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Adorable footage shows a baby white rhino with his mum, who has just been born at Whipsnade Zoo.

Video (click to play above) shows a super-cute baby rhino as he settles into his new home at Whipsnade Zoo.

The male calf, who has not yet been named, was born on October 2 to parents Fahari and Sizzle. He weighs less than 50kg making him smaller than other calves born at the zoo but his keeper said he has a "very healthy appetite".

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Southern white rhinos, native to South Africa, are threatened by illegal hunting to supply the international rhino horn trade. The calf's mum, seven-year-old Fahari, went into labour after a 16-month gestation period and staff were originally concerned he was not feeding correctly.

Rhino keeper Alex Simpson said: "Fahari is already proving to be a protective mum and likes to keep her baby in her eyeline. But to suckle, he needs to stand under her belly and by her back legs, so we think at first they were struggling to work out the logistics of everything.

The male white rhino calf with mum Fahari at Whipsnade Zoo in Beds.The male white rhino calf with mum Fahari at Whipsnade Zoo in Beds.
The male white rhino calf with mum Fahari at Whipsnade Zoo in Beds. | Whipsnade Zoo / SWNS

"But he’s feeding well now, and it's really sweet to see them figure out all these new experiences together.

The bundle of joy joins his seven-month old half-brother, Benja, who was born in March. Whipsnade Zoo hopes the calf will be able to join the rest of his family by the end of October but for now he is exploring his indoor den.

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