Officials at a zoo in Ohio are celebrating after the successful birth of a critically endangered animal.
M Live reported that the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo announced the birth of a male Eastern black rhino in September 2025, and the first images began emerging a couple of weeks later. The new arrival is a welcome boost for the species’ long-term prospects; there are fewer than 600 individuals left in the wild.
“Every birth is significant and is an opportunity to bring awareness to the conservation issues faced by this species,” said Chris Kuhar, zoo executive director.
The Eastern black rhino is one of four subspecies of black rhino. Sadly, the Western black rhino became extinct in 2011, but the other three species are doing somewhat better after an alarming decline in numbers in the 20th century. According to the World Wildlife Fund, black rhinos lost a bewildering 98% of their historic population between 1960 and 1995, partly through habitat loss, but mostly rampant poaching for their horns.
Thanks to conservation efforts, the rhino’s numbers have doubled in recent years, but that progress is fragile. As Save the Rhino points out, they often reside in conflict-prone areas where enforcement of protection laws is challenging, and they have a slow breeding cycle, with a gestation period of 15 to 17 months. This means that captive breeding programs are a key lifeline and the foundation for future rewilding projects.
As Chris Kuhar pointed out, the birth of an endangered species is an ideal way to inform the public of the issues behind the species’ struggles. Few things are a more powerful way to encourage local action than footage of a baby rhino at play.
The zoo’s social media post attracted over a hundred adoring comments and some pretty excellent animal suggestions for not-so-little tyke.
“So sweet! And look how prehistoric baby looks! Happy World Animal Day!” a commenter swooned.
One pre-school teacher shared her class’s suggestions. Tank and Parker were arguably the pick of the bunch, though little Troy’s suggestion of Rhino Rhino is not without its charm.
“I’ll throw out a name – Asani meaning rebellious but gentle,” suggested another reader.
A local baseball fan offered “Ramirez” as a name after the Cleveland Guardians’ future Hall of Famer, José RamÃrez. The zoo certainly won’t lack for choices when the time comes to give the calf a name.
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