Endangered rhino baby born in Toronto Zoo

 By 
Jonathan Keshishoglou
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Ashakiran, or just "Asha," is currently the luckiest rhinoceros mother in the world.

An 11-year-old Indian rhino, Asha gave birth to a baby calf at the Toronto Zoo on Wednesday, which is good news for the dwindling species. Despite being just a couple days old, the new calf is already larger than most dogs.

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While the calf has some almost unsettlingly human-looking eyes, he's had no health issues so far and Asha isn't letting him stray far from her sight.

"The calf appears to be healthy and feeding well, but the first 30 days are critical and staff will continue to monitor them both closely," the Toronto Zoo said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's official Red List of Threatened Species lists the Indian rhino as "vulnerable," and there are estimated to be only 2,000 left in the wild.

According to CBC News, this is the fourth Indian rhino ever born at the Toronto Zoo and the first one in more than 16 years. And hopefully there will be plenty more in the future.

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