New Arrival: Eastern Black Rhinoceros Calf

Lincoln Park Zoo has big news to share! Eastern black rhino Kapuki gave birth to a female calf at 4:52 a.m. on Thursday, March 19. The calf was an estimated 60 pounds at birth, and zoo staff are monitoring both mom and offspring closely via a camera system to minimize disturbance while ensuring that important milestones are being met. The rhinos will remain behind the scenes for several weeks as the calf grows in size and strength.

The birth is the result of a breeding recommendation between 20-year-old Kapuki and 21-year-old Utenzi, as outlined by the Eastern Black Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan®. Eastern black rhinos are critically endangered in the wild, with just 1,000 individuals in their native African range, which includes Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya. This makes every new addition important to the population.

This is Kapuki’s third calf; in 2013, she gave birth to King, and in 2019, Romeo came along—both to sire Maku. Eastern black rhinos have a gestation period between 15 and 17 months, and calves stand within the first few hours of life. They are weaned at two years of age and leave their mother between two and four years of age. Otherwise, eastern black rhinos are generally solitary. While females live in areas that overlap, males are territorial. Mating couples in the wild stay together for just a few days.

Black rhino populations have suffered from habitat loss and hunting. Between 1960 and 1995, poaching reduced their numbers by 98%. Much of this was due to the perception in traditional communities that rhino horn, which is made out of keratin (the same substance that makes up human fingernails and hair) has medicinal properties. At the lowest point, only 2,500 black rhinos of every subspecies, including the eastern black rhino, remained. Today, more than 6,700 black rhinos roam parts of Africa. While their numbers are increasing, albeit slowly, only a fraction of those are eastern black rhinos, and all subspecies continue to face threats.

If you want to learn more about Kapuki and her calf and keep track of the milestones that she meets, follow the zoo’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and stay tuned to the blog. We’ll keep you posted and let you know when Kapuki and her calf will make their debut and be ready for Chicago to meet!

Check out this cute video: