Female rhino born at safari park

A southern white rhino has given birth to a calf at a safari park.

The female calf, who has not yet been named, was born to mother Bayami and father Shaka at Knowsley Safari near Liverpool after a 16-month pregnancy.

The safari park said mother and baby are “doing well”, and once the calf has undergone all her checks, she should be out on the safari drive in the coming weeks.

Bayami and Shaka recently found fame on Channel 4’s Secret Life Of The Safari Park, which aired in January and February.

In episode six, which was filmed in autumn 2022, viewers saw sire Shaka attempting to mate with Bayami, but they did not find out that the mating had been successful.

Southern white rhino have been brought back from the brink of extinction but are still under threat from poaching in South Africa.

The current white rhino population is around 17,000 so the birth is “extra special”, Knowsley Safari said.

The park has one of the largest white rhino crashes in the UK and their breeding helps to protect the rare and vulnerable species, it added.

On Mother’s Day weekend on March 9 and 10, Knowsley Safari will allow one adult per car to enjoy the safari free of charge when they are with a full-paying child.

Chris Smart, animal operations manager at Knowsley, said: “We can’t think of a better way to mark the addition of another beautiful calf to the world’s dwindling southern white rhino population than to celebrate motherhood with our Mother’s Day free day out offer.

“We’re sure they’ll love the rhinos and the multitude of other animals and activities the safari has to offer.”