Indianapolis Zoo Welcomes 'Magnificent' Rhino Calf Born on Super Bowl Sunday

Mar. 15, 2025

Zenzele and her calf.Photo:Indianapolis Zoo

Indianapolis Zoo

A mother rhinoceros and the staff at the Indianapolis Zoo celebrated a joyous event on Sunday that had nothing to do with the Super Bowl!

Late on Feb. 11, the Indianapolis Zoo announced,via a press releaseand post onFacebook, the arrival of its first live-birth white rhinoceros calf.

The calf, who has yet to be named, was born to a 19-year-old rhinoceros named Zenzele on Sunday at 9:13 a.m. local time. The newborn is the rhino mom’s seventh calf.

“Zenzele is an experienced and confident mom, and everything is going very well,” said senior rhinoceros keeper Amber Berndt in a statement. According to the zoo’s release, the calf and its mother are relaxed, content, and doing well overall.

“Our Life Sciences team has done a tremendous job. It is a privilege for our Zoo to care for these magnificent animals and advocate for their conservation,” Dr. Robert Shumaker, the president & CEO of the Indianapolis Zoo, said in a statement.

The mother and calf will spend time indoors alone together before the calf is introduced to the three other rhinoceroses who live at the Indianapolis Zoo. A female rhino at the zoo named Gloria is Zenzele’s grandmother and the calf’s great-grandmother.

Zenzele and her calf.Indianapolis Zoo

The zoo now houses five rhinoceroses, including Zenzele, her calf, Gloria, a male named Spike, and a female named Mambo.

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Per theInternational Rhino Foundation, the white rhino is one of two rhino species experiencing a decline in its population as of 2023. The species' population reportedly increased over the past year, but the increase hasn’t occurred long enough to be classified as a trend — it’s only a potentially positive sign.

Per theWorld Wildlife Foundation (WWF), white rhinos are currently classified as “near-threatened.”

source: people.com