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It’s rare that we get to witness the birth of a wild animal; but thanks to the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary, we can now watch the miracle of life as a white rhino named Olive birthed a male calf. The video, recorded by the organization, leaves little to the imagination but is a welcome sight as the little guy makes his way into the world—especially as rhinos continue to be a critically endangered species due to poaching and loss of habitat.
The Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary offers some context for the birth. “[A] 9-year-old white rhino cow Olive, gave birth to a male calf at 7:50 this morning,” they announced on Facebook post. “For the first time, the birth was captured on video by Olive’s guard. Despite keeping his distance, Olive remained close to her long-term protector throughout the early stages of labor and kept him close during delivery. This is an unbelievably special moment to see this precious new life take his first breaths.”
Olive was orphaned nearly 10 years ago, after poachers killed her mother. At 10 months old, she came to Care for Wild where she was one of the first rhinos to complete its rehabilitation program and enter the “rewilding and release program.” Through these efforts, rhinos are taken care of and then, once healthy, released into a protected area of their natural habitat. There, they are observed by specially trained Rhino Monitors who record their behavior and observe the group dynamics of the rhinos living there.
The sanctuary is located in South Africa and forms part of the Barberton Nature Reserve complex. Care for Wild, along with the surrounding areas, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
You can follow Care for Wild on Instagram and Facebook for updates on Olive and her baby.
Olive the rhino recently gave birth to a male calf. Both mom and baby are doing well.
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The two live at Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary, which recorded the birth of the calf.
Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary: Website | Instagram | Facebook
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