Press Releases

TORONTO ZOO WELCOMES BIRTH OF VULNERABLE INDIAN RHINOCEROS CALF

TORONTO, ON, Friday, February 19, 2016: The Toronto Zoo would like to announce that Ashakiran, an 11 year old female Indian rhinoceros (rhinoceros unicornis), gave birth to a male calf on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 9:42 pm.  

This recent birth is very important for Indian rhinoceros conservation as the species is currently listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and there are only approximately 2,000 left in the wild. Declined to near extinction in the early 1900’s the Indian rhino was once listed as Endangered however, with conservation efforts and strict protection, it was down listed to Vulnerable. This is considered a conservation success story but they are not out of the woods. Habitat degradation, human rhino conflict, and poaching continue to be threats.  The Indian rhinoceros exists in a few small subpopulations in Nepal and India (West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Assam) inhabiting the riverine grasslands of the Terai and Brahmaputra Basins. With 70 % of the wild population occurring in one area in Kaziranga National Park, any catastrophic event could have a huge impact on conservation efforts for this species.  

An Indian rhinoceros' gestation lasts 425 - 496 days (approximately 16 months) and a single young is born between the end of February and the end of April. Subsequently, Ashakiran, affectionately known to her keepers as "Asha", was moved from public viewing into a maternity area within the Indian rhino habitat mid-January where video cameras were set in place for Wildlife Care to monitor her closely. While the calf appears healthy, and feeding well, the first thirty days will be critical for both mom and calf. Toronto Zoo Wildlife Care staff will continue to closely monitor Asha and her calf in the maternity area, which is not visible to the public at this time.

This is the first surviving calf for Asha and Vishnu, father and 12 year old male. Asha gave birth to a stillborn calf back in 2011, and since then was able to get pregnant, but could not maintain pregnancy. The Toronto Zoo partnered with the Cincinnati Zoo and proceeded to follow their developed protocol of giving oral progesterone to Asha to help her maintain pregnancy. This collaborative research resulted in the birth of this healthy calf and will strengthen conservation breeding efforts in the future. This is the fourth birth of an Indian rhinoceros in Toronto Zoo's history. The last Indian rhinoceros to be born at the Toronto Zoo was a female named Sanya, born August 14, 1999, who now resides at The Wilds in Ohio, USA.

"Asha is on a breeding loan from Los Angeles Zoo and it is these partnerships that will bring us one step closer to overall conservation efforts to save this incredible species," says Maria Franke, Curator of Mammals, Toronto Zoo. "I would also like to thank the amazing team at the Toronto Zoo for all of the hard work and dedication that has resulted in this significant birth."

The Toronto Zoo is part of the Indian Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan (SSP), which aims to establish and maintain healthy, genetically diverse populations, and overall conservation efforts to save this incredible species. One of the Toronto Zoo's mandates is to educate visitors on current conservation issues and help preserve the incredible biodiversity on the planet. The Toronto Zoo is in a great position to bring forward the plight of the Indian rhinoceros and supports rhinoceros conservation efforts in the wild through the Toronto Zoo Endangered Species Reserve Fund.

Please note, Asha and her calf are not currently visible to the public.

Toronto Zoo Media Contacts:

Amanda Chambers, Supervisor of Public Relations and Events
achambers@torontozoo.ca or #647-625-4369.

Lesley Dean, Public Relations and Events Associate
ldean@torontozoo.ca or #416-392-5939

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