Black rhino raised in Yorkshire has calf in Rwanda

A black rhino raised at a North Yorkshire zoo has given birth to a calf after being released in Rwanda.

Olmoti, an eastern black rhinoceros, arrived at Flamingo Land in 2015 with her mother Samira.

In 2019, Olmoti was transferred to Akagera National Park in Central Africa as part of a relationship between Rwanda and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

Drew Bantlin, a regional conservation manager for African Parks, confirmed Olmoti recently had her calf, adding: "The team has seen Olmoti and the calf twice this week and report they continue to do well."

The father of the calf is Mandela who, along with Olmoti, was one of five black rhinos transferred through EAZA, Flamingo Land said.

A photo of the mother and baby was taken during an aerial patrol, with a camera trap also capturing them in the national park.

Breeding programmes have taken place across Europe to help boost black rhino numbers, as they are listed as critically endangered by the World Wildlife Fund.

The schemes have been so successful that 10% of the entire world population lives in European zoos, leading to some being sent back to where the animals originally came from.

Olmoti arrived at Flamingo Land when she was nine months old from a zoo in Zurich and was later moved from North Yorkshire to the Czech Republic.

In 2021, Olmoti's mother gave birth to a male named Jabali, the first black rhinoceros to be born at Flamingo Land.

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