a white rhinoceros was born

The Peaugres safari has a new animal. And not just any animal, since it is a very rare white rhinoceros. The birth of this baby, a female, took place on Sunday, June 2 at around 5 p.m. The little rhino defied the predictions of the zoo team who expected to welcome it a few days later.

Hornless at birth

“Since the gestation period is 16 months, calculating the precise date of birth remains a complex task,” says the Safari team.

The birth took place under the gaze of the lucky visitors present at that time. A special event, always impressive to observe.

Nature being well done, the white rhinoceros is born without horns and with soft nails so as not to hurt its mother during birth. “This gives the impression that it was born with slippers that were a little too big,” explains the safari team. The nails will harden from the first days and the horn will grow continuously (about 7 cm per year) while constantly wearing down.”

The 7the white rhinoceros born in Peaugres

This is the first birth of a white rhinoceros this year in a French animal park. Good news, therefore, for this endangered species, which is also complicated to reproduce. However, this is the 7th time that a birth of this species has occurred at the Peaugres Safari.

Safari visitors can already see the little rhino alongside his mother from the car circuit.

Critically endangered

A member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA), the Safari de Peaugres participates in European breeding programs for endangered species (EEP), or even on the verge of extinction. Threatened with extinction, the white rhinoceros normally lives on the African continent. It has been classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, it has no real predator apart from Man, responsible for the degradation of its habitat, illegal hunting and poaching.