Meet Sarita: the Miami Zoo's second-ever healthy baby rhino. Sarita, who was born on April 23, went unnamed until July, while the zoo's Instagram followers voted on a name for the adorable new rhino from a shortlist. The Miami Zoo announced the baby rhino's name on July 13. Sarita, a rare Greater One-Horned Rhino, has made history not only as the Miami Zoo's second-ever successful rhino birth. Her birth also marks the first time in the U.S. that this rhino species has given birth to a calf conceived through induced ovulation, according to the zoo's Instagram. You can watch newborn Sarita trying to find her footing and having a drink from mom, Akuti, below: View this post on Instagram Initial indications are that the newborn is healthy and doing well but more detailed information will not become available until the veterinary team is able to do a neonatal exam. This will be performed when the staff feels that it can safely separate the infant from its very protective mother for the few minutes that the exam will take. It is critical that the mother and newborn are able to establish a bond which can sometimes be a challenge for first time mothers. Because of the extreme sensitivity of the situation, there will be no media access until zoo management has determined that everything is stable and the new mother and baby have been able to adjust. If everything goes well, it will probably be a few weeks until mom and baby are on public display. There are less than 3,000 Indian rhinos left in the wild occurring in small protected areas of Nepal, India, and Assam. Over the years, they have been poached extensively for their horn which is used for medicinal purposes and for dagger handles that are revered in some Asian cultures. They are the world’s fourth largest land mammal sometimes reaching a weight of 6,000 pounds. This very rare birth is not only significant for Zoo Miami, it is incredibly important to the international efforts to maintain a healthy population under human care of this highly vulnerable species throughout the world. Video: Ron Magill #ZooMiami #Rhino #ZooBorn #GreaterOneHornedIndianRhinoceros A post shared by Zoo Miami (@zoomiami) on Apr 24, 2019 at 9:02am PDT Despite natural breeding efforts, Akuti's pregnancy attempts were unsuccessful until the zoo tried induced ovulation. Akuti was artificially inseminated in January 2018, and her pregnancy was announced on November 21, 2018. After over a 15-month pregnancy, the now 7-year-old rhino gave birth at about 12:30 am. Sarita, who is Akuti's first baby, was revealed to be a baby girl on June 7 to excited Insta followers. Sarita's father is Suru, who was 18 at the time of Sarita's birth. Suru arrived at the Miami Zoo in 2003. Enjoy more cute photos of baby Sarita below: View this post on Instagram So excited for this baby 💞GIRL💞 to experience her first weekend out on exhibit! That’s right, Baby Rhino Weekend starts TOMORROW!!! A post shared by Zoo Miami (@zoomiami) on Jun 7, 2019 at 3:28pm PDT Sarita and Akuti's Indian heritage is reflected in both of their given names. In Hindi, the name Akuti means "princess," and the name Sarita means "river." Suru means "a start" in Bengali. If you'd like to get involved, attend Bowling for Rhinos on July 25 from 6:30 pm to 10 pm at Bowlero in Miami. This event, which includes a silent auction and cool t-shirts, raises money for rhino conservation projects for rhinos in Africa and Asia. To learn more, go here.
