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Watch This Energetic Baby Rhino Try To Coax His Exhausted Mom Into Playing With Him

By Emma Taggart on October 1, 2020

Baby Rhino Chester Zoo

We’ve all had times when we’ve acted out to get attention, especially as children. However, recent footage from Chester Zoo in England shows that it’s not just humans who can feel needy. The hilarious video shows a rather lively greater one-horned rhino calf named Akeno who does everything he can to coax his exhausted mother into playing with him.

The adorable little ball of energy is captured excitedly running back and forth next to his mother before she decides to lie down for a quick nap. However, Akeno decides that playtime isn’t over, and he tries to get her up. From head-butting her to jumping on her back, the little tyke tries all sorts of adorable tactics. It wasn’t until he began running circles around her that she finally gave in and got up.

Akeno, meaning “beautiful sunrise,” was born at Chester Zoo on May 3, 2018. His birth was particularly exciting for the Zoo’s species conservation program and for the greater one-horned rhino species itself. This particular type of rhino is considered to be vulnerable. “Not long ago there were less than 200 greater one-horned rhinoceros in the wild,” says Chester Zoo. “They were hunted almost to extinction. Just in time steps were taken to protect them. Now there are about 2,600, but they still face threats in India and Nepal. Poachers target them for their horns and a lot of land where they once lived has been taken over by farmers so it’s important we do all we can to stop their numbers going down to critical levels again.”

Check out photos of Akeno and his mom below, plus the hilarious, now-viral video that shows just how cheeky he is.