DENVER, CO – There’s no better way to celebrate World Rhino Day than to announce that a new baby rhino is on is way. That’s what happened Sunday in Denver where the zoo announced that one of their rhinos is pregnant.
Tensing is an 11 year old greater one horned rhino and she is expected to deliver sometime in 2020.
“Tensing’s pregnancy is an incredible example of what Denver Zoo – and other zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquarius – do to ensure the survival of many vulnerable, threatened and endangered species,” the Denver Zoo’s Senior Vice President for Animal Sciences, Brian Aucone, said.
“This was a multi-year process that involved countless hours of care and training, and the cooperation of partner zoos.”
Tensing became pregnant because of artificial insemination. The dad is Jontu, a 10 year old greater one horned rhino from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.
He probably doesn’t know it, though
The Denver Zoo says that when Tensing arrived there in 2011, she had never been involved in artificial insemination. That meant that doctors had to conduct training.
Over several years, they conducted 11 attempts to get her pregnant, none of which were successful.
In November 2018, they tried again.
Twenty-three days later, they got good news. Tensing was pregnant.
Doctors have tested her every week since and have determined that Tensing and the fetus are healthy. The fetus is now the size of a large watermelon, the zoo says.
That’s nothing compared to what will happen down the road.
Adult rhinos grow to be about 6,000 pounds.
Tensing’s due date is expected to be in March or April of 2020.
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