Tiny baby rhino has the best time playing with her zookeeper
One-horned wonder
We, humans, share a unique responsibility to preserve our world and its ecosystem. The lone planet that we inhabit is filled with rich and diverse permutations of life. It is really up to us to take care of these wonderful creations.
Take the rhinoceros for example. It’s one of the unique species on our planet that need our attention. It is for this reason that we have been taking steps to preserve their kind. The following video features an astonishingly playful baby rhino interacting with a zookeeper named Thomas.
It’s Savannah, and her energy is as immense as her name suggests. As soon as the video starts, she trots gleefully towards the zookeeper with friendly intent. This young calf’s journey has just started and she’s eager to make new friends along the way. She makes her way towards Thomas and puts her head on his hands as she approaches. She’s telling him she’s ready to play.
Savannah then backs up and prepares to give her human friends a show. She skips along the pavement to and fro the ends of the barred cages. Savannah’s innocent display of curiosity and her spunky attitude is just so adorable. The girl holding the camera couldn’t hold her giggle. She seems so delighted to experience Savannah’s frolicking.
Mama Knows Best
We can see the rhino’s mama in the back keeping an eye on the baby as she continues her rambunctious circuit. Protective Rhino mothers typically tend to accompany their rhino calves from 2 to 4 years of age. Judging by her docile behavior in this video, mama seems to be in approval of her baby’s new playmates.
After skipping some more, Savannah comes back to the zookeeper. She just can’t get enough of the attention she’s getting. She repeatedly reports back to her mama to affirm her that she is fine and dandy in her new environment.
A rhino pregnancy can last anywhere between 15 to 16 months. In addition, a newborn rhino typically starts nursing from its mom in the first five hours of being born and will need to start grazing at around two months of age. If you think Savannah can sprint now, wait until she develops and matures into her adult form. It is said that rhinos can run up to 40-60 kph or 25-31mph! That is some considerable speed considering rhinos can weigh anywhere between 1750-3000 lbs.
Savannah See, Savannah Do
One of the reasons we Savannah taking minor pauses and acquainting herself with her surroundings is because rhinos have acute hearing and smell, but very poor eyesight. You can see an example of this as Savannah gently bumps into walls and sometimes takes her time to adjust.
In her final display of innocent affection, Savannah meets the zookeeper one last time and joyously leaps in the air to show her level of excitement. She delightfully comes back for one more nose-to-hand farewell as if to let him know that she now fully trusts him as her caretaker.
Finally, Savannah reports back to her mommy with the comfort in knowing she now has new friends to play with if she becomes too bored. With her energy though, I’m sure she’ll find a way to keep herself entertained. Hopefully, this video will inspire others to have a heart for rhinos and to protect wildlife from the perils of poachers and environmental endangerment.
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