Rhino siblings celebrate first birthday with cake
White rhino siblings Markus and Mo celebrated their first birthday at Cotswold Wildlife Park with cakes made from soaked pellets, carrots and salad leaves. Their births brought the park’s rhino population to nine, its highest in 56 years, and highlight the continuing role of conservation.
Born last year near Burford, the calves each weighed about 70kg at birth and now weigh around 500kg. White rhinos were once close to extinction, with fewer than 50 thought to remain in Africa in the early 1900s; although they are now the most numerous of the five rhino species, the park says conservation remains vital.
In short
- Rhino siblings Markus and Mo turned one.
- They now weigh about 500kg each.
- Their births took the park’s rhino total to nine.
Explained simply
White rhinos are one of five rhino species and are now the most numerous, after their numbers fell to fewer than 50 in Africa in the early 1900s. Their recovery has depended on conservation, but protecting the species remains important.
Cotswold Wildlife Park, near Burford in Oxfordshire, cares for white rhinos and has a long history of breeding them. The two calves’ births brought its rhino population to nine, the highest it has been in 56 years.