White rhino calf born at Cotswold Wildlife Park takes first steps

A wildlife park has welcomed the birth of its second rhino calf in 2025, marking a rare success for the species in captivity.

Cotswold Wildlife Park said the female, named Mo, was born to Ruby, a 19-year-old white rhino, earlier than keepers expected.

She is Ruby’s sixth calf with breeding male Monty and the 13th rhino born at the Oxfordshire park in the past 12 years.

It is difficult to catch rhino births on camera as females usually give birth during the night but the quick-thinking team at the park managed record the unique moment.

Her arrival follows the birth of a male calf, Markus, to another female, Nancy, earlier this year and the pair are the only white rhinos born in the UK in 2025.

Across Europe, just six calves were born in 2025 and park curator Jamie Craig said: “To have such a successful record breeding this incredible species is down to our team of dedicated keepers.

“A paddock full of rhino is a great sight and the new arrivals are certainly keeping the team on their toes.”

After some wobbly first steps Mo has already been delighting visitors with playful charges in the Rhino paddock.

She has met some of her older sisters and will stay with her mother for at least two years, benefiting from her protection. Females guard their offspring aggressively and are intimidating adversaries if challenged.

She was named in honour of Maureen Clifford, a long-serving member of staff who worked at the park for nearly four decades.

Maureen, affectionately known as “Mo” to close friends, still visits with her family and is delighted that the new calf is named after her.

White rhinos were once on the brink of extinction, with fewer than 50 animals remaining in the early 1900s.

Thanks to conservation efforts, they are now the most common of the five rhino species, though poaching remains a serious threat.

Cotswold Wildlife Park works with UK charity Tusk to support conservation in Africa and has raised more than £120,000 for the cause over the past decade.