The Wilds Welcomes Two Southern White Rhino Calves

Friday January 17, 2014 9:11 AM UPDATED: Friday January 17, 2014 9:58 AM

Spring is still a few months away but the Wilds is already celebrating a booming baby season.

Two healthy white rhino calves were recently welcomed at the Wilds. A female calf was born on November 21, 2013. The second calf, also a female, was born two weeks ago on January 3, 2014.

The Wilds spokesperson says both mothers and calves are doing fine and will be slowly introduced to the rest of the herd after the weather warms up in the spring.

The birth of these calves are the 19th and 20th rhinos born at the Wilds since 2004.

Southern white rhinos were almost extinct in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Wilds says effective conservation efforts in the 1950s led to the exportation of individual wild white rhinos to zoos in North America and Europe. The current wild population is estimated to be about 20,000 animals.

Calves are born after a gestation of 16 months. White rhinos can grow to be 4,000 pounds and 6 feet tall at their shoulder.

Click here for more information about the Wilds - http://www.thewilds.org.

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The Wilds Welcomes Two Southern White Rhino Calves