Congratulations: It’s a boy! Fresno Chaffee Zoo announces birth of white rhino calf

The family of white rhinos at Fresno Chaffee Zoo has grown by one.

The zoo announced Saturday the birth of a yet-to-be-named male calf.

His parents, Kayla and Tim, came to the zoo in 2015 for the grand opening of its African Adventure exhibit and have been fairly consistent breeders. In fact, they began breeding almost as soon as they arrived, even before the exhibit opened.

The gestation period for a rhinoceros is between 16 and 18 months and the pair’s firstborn, a male calf, named Rudo, came in early 2017.

A second calf, a male named Kito, was born in early 2019.

A third, a female named Hazina, was born in October 2020, and can still be seen out on the Savannah.

Rudo was relocated in 2018 after it was discovered Kayla was pregnant. Zoo officials said the mother would be protective of her new calf and Rudo would no longer get along with his father as he matured. “While we will miss him dearly, we are happy to be able to secure a new home for him,” the zoo‘s curator said at the time.

Kito was also relocated.

As is tradition, zookeepers have come up with several possible names for the new rhino. Those will be shared on the zoo’s social media over the next few days and guests will be able to chime in on which is the best.

In the meantime, the mother and newborn can be seen out on the savanna, the zoo said.

This story was originally published November 26, 2022 at 12:14 PM.