Cotswold Wildlife Park has celebrated 'Rhino Month' with the birth of two White Rhinos in just one week.

Two weeks ago White Rhino Ruby gave birth to a male calf in a milestone for both the European Breeding Programme and for Rhino conservation.

Less than one week later, White Rhino Nancy gave birth to a female calf.

Although females usually give birth during the night keepers were at the Park when Ruby went into labour and managed to film the birth which happened at around 5pm on Saturday August 12.

Dad Monty and mum Ruby are both 17 years old.

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The new male has been named Henry after the name was auctioned off to raise money for Rhino Conservation but coincidentally, it's also the name of Head Keeper Mark Godwin's son.

A female calf is already named after his daughter Molly. 

Mr Godwin said boisterous baby Henry is "the most confident calf I've ever encountered in 36 years of looking after Rhinos at the Park".

Managing director of Cotswold Wildlife Park Reggie Heyworth said: "It is so exciting to welcome a White Rhino calf into the world so it is even more amazing that in the space of one week, both our wonderful female Rhinos, Nancy and Ruby, have now had calves!

"That makes it 11 calves born here at the Wildlife Park in 11 years. What joy they have brought to us all, they are just the most charismatic and lovely animals and visitors and staff alike are absolutely entranced by them. 

"My father, the founder of the Wildlife Park, died in 2012 just before our first calf was born but I'm sure that he would be absolutely over the moon if he knew. Rhinos are a real Heyworth favourite!’’

Henry had a famous first visitor, comedian and friend of the park Ruby Wax.

Mr Heyworth said: "Ruby Wax and her husband Ed Bye, were the very first to see our new baby Rhino, while we were still keeping his mum ‘Ruby’ and him under observation."

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Ms Wax named the Rhino mum ‘Ruby’ when she arrived from South Africa in 2009, just ahead of the Wildlife Park's Ruby Anniversary in March 2010.

 

White Rhino were once the rarest Rhino species and were on the verge of extinction in the early 1900s, when it was believed only 20 to 50 animals remained in their native African homeland.

Thanks to sustained protection, they are now the most common of the five Rhino species.

However, the Black, Javan and Sumatran species are critically endangered and the Sumatran Rhino is now presumed extinct in the wild in Malaysia according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).