First Look At The Adorable Baby Rhino Born At Toronto Zoo

An adorable baby Indian rhino has been born at the Toronto Zoo , giving hope to the threatened species.

The male calf was born to 11-year-old mom Ashakiran and 12-year-old dad Vishnu late Wednesday night.

Zoo staff hailed the birth as an important moment as they announced it on Friday. Indian rhinos are listed as "vulnerable" and there are only around 2,000-3,000 left in the wild .

"The calf appears to be healthy and feeding well," the zoo said in a post on Instagram. "But the first 30 days are critical and staff will continue to monitor them both closely."

The Toronto Sun reports that this is Ashakiran's first surviving calf , as she has previously had trouble maintaining pregnancy and gave birth to a stillborn in 2011. 

To maintain this pregnancy, she was given oral progesterone  through a partnership with Cincinnati Zoo .

The rhino calf, who has not yet been named, is the first to be born at the zoo since August 1999. Mom and son are currently not on display to the public.

The zoo has also welcomed several other newborns in recent months, including a polar bear  and giant panda twins .

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