Toronto Zoo reveals baby rhino’s name: Nandu
Three months after he was born and six weeks after an online poll asked animal lovers to weigh in, a baby rhinoceros at the Toronto Zoo has a name.
Meet Nandu, pronounced None-do, whose name means “one who is cheerful and happy.”
More than 11,500 cast a vote in the survey, the Toronto Zoo said in a statement on Thursday.
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“I am so honoured and excited that the public has voted for Nandu to be the name of our Indian Rhino calf,” Ryan Hegarty, who works in wildlife care at the zoo, said in a statement.
“He definitely lives up to the name and is one happy “little” guy. Nandu will bring much joy to visitors when they meet him and inspire people to help the Toronto Zoo with the ongoing efforts to save these amazing animals.”
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“Little” is right: Just three months old, Nandu weighs more than 500 pounds (226 kilograms), and could eventually reach 2,100 kilograms.
Nandu is the first surviving calf for 11-year-old mom Ashakiran (affectionately known to her keepers as “Asha”) and 13-year-old Vishnu.
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The zoo said the birth of Nandu is important not just for visitors, but for rhinoceros conservation. There are only approximately 2,000 Indian rhinoceroses left in the wild. They were once classified as endangered, but are now a vulnerable species. The improvement is due to conservation efforts and strict protection, the zoo said.
Nandu is the fourth Indian rhinoceros to be born at the Toronto Zoo. Before him, a female named Sanya was born on Aug. 14, 1999. Sanya now lives at The Wilds in Ohio.
Click here for Indian rhinoceros calf viewing hours.
