On Saturday, October 16, at 3:29 a.m., Buffalo Zoo’s greater one-horned rhino Tashi gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! This is Tashi’s fifth calf but the first with Buffalo’s previous male George. That rhino dad now resides at another AZA accredited facility.
Animal care and veterinary teams got their first look at the calf early Saturday morning, where she received her first physical exam. This included weight, checking her vitals, cleaning her belly button (umbilical cord attachment site), and bloodwork. She came in at a whopping 130 lbs! Over the last few weeks, the team has closely monitored Tashi and the calf. So far, mom and calf are doing great.
Tashi’s pregnancy was based on a recommendation from the greater one-horned rhino Species Survival Plan (SSP) through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. SSP’s are designed to maintain genetically diverse and stable captive populations of species. The Buffalo Zoo is a long-time participant in this program, resulting in five rhino calves (4 females and 1 male) over the past 17 years.