MIAMI — Zoo Miami guests have to keep an eye out for a little (big) addition to the rhino family.
The zoo announced Wednesday its 21-year-old black rhinoceros, named Circe, gave birth to a calf back on Feb. 24 following a 15-month pregnancy. Since then, the mother and her baby have largely been out of public view and kept sheltered to be given time to bond.
"During that time, Circe has been a very protective mother and the calf has been nursing regularly while growing rapidly and gaining strength for his public debut!" the zoo wrote on Facebook.
And it's about that time. This past week, the unnamed baby and his mother are spending an increasing amount of time on exhibit during the morning to become more comfortable with the environment.
The baby rhino's father, named Eddie, also is 21 years old and has sired three offspring with Circe, the zoo said. The whole family is endangered black rhinos, of which there are fewer than 5,000 in the wild.
"They have been poached for their horn which is believed by some cultures to possess medicinal qualities and by others it is used for dagger handles as a symbol of status," the zoo said. "It is actually nothing more than a keratin-based material similar to fingernails and hair and has never been proven to have any medicinal qualities at all."
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