White Rhinoceros. Photo: Wiki Commons.

New video footage has emerged, courtesy of AFP, of a white rhinoceros that was recently born inside an Israeli zoo.

Congratulations from zoo officials around the world poured into the Ramat Gan Safari in Israel, after the park announced the birth of a rare white rhinoceros. Netta Guetta, head of the Safari’s African animals department, said the baby was born early Friday afternoon with no problems. The calf, who is male and named Terkel, was born to mother Kendra after an eighteen month pregnancy.

Officials said mother Tendra would likely be a good mother to her new calf, based on her experience raising her other calf, four year old Timor, who is the only other white rhino successfully birthed in the zoo in the past 20 years.

White rhinos are not named for their skin color (which ranges from brown to grey) but for a mistranslation of the Dutch wijd, referring to the rhino’s overly wide mouth, according to a popular theory. The rhinos are difficult to breed in captivity and are hunted in the wild by poachers looking to sell the rhinos’ horns. Over 300 rhinos are estimated to be killed in the wild every year.

The new calf is named for Dr. Amalia Terkel who is retiring this year from 30 years of service as the Safari’s Curator. The Safari, located near Tel Aviv in the most densely populated area in Israel, is the largest zoo in the Middle East, with 250 acres of nature containing over 1600 animals of diverse species, according to their website. The Safari’s successful breeding of a rhino calf significantly reflects a global concern for the rhinos’ dwindling population.

To see footage of the white rhino,  click here.