04 Sep 2004
A critically endangered black rhinoceros calf named �Ajubu� was born at the San Diego Zoo�s Wild Animal Park and is making his public debut.
The 9-day-old calf can be seen playing and investigating his new surroundings along side his protective first-time mother (dam) �Lembe� from the Wgasa Bush Line Railway.
An adult male, �Jambia,� which was the last black rhino to be born at the Wild Animal Park seven years ago, sired the rambunctious calf. To date, 10 black rhinos have been born at the Park.
Black rhinoceros are now only found in small pockets of eastern and southern Africa, numbering at a mere 3,600. In 1970, there were 65,000 black rhinos throughout larger areas of Africa, but poaching and loss of habitat have caused a devastating decline in the population of all five rhino species.
The 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo�s Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe. The Zoological Society also manages the 100-acre San Diego Zoo and the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES), and is working to establish field stations in five key ecological areas worldwide.
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Media Contact: Paul Garcia +1 619-685-3291 pgarcia@sandiegozoo.org