LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment team has received what it calls “one of the best gifts of all” this holiday season.
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Last month, a white rhino was born at Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
“Under the care of this team of experts, white rhino Lola delivered a healthy and adorable female calf in early November, and mom and baby are thriving backstage as they await introduction to the theme park’s savanna,” Disney said in a news release.
The calf marks the third white rhino born at Animal Kingdom in the past 13 months, and 13th white rhino born at Walt Disney World Resort, which helps in the conservation of the near-threatened species.
See photos of the baby rhino in our gallery below:
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“Rhinos in the wild are hunted for their horns, and their populations continue to dwindle,” Disney said in a news release. “Because of this, rhino births are increasingly important to maintain healthy populations.”
Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment team helps protect white and black rhinos in the wild through the Disney Conservation Fund, which supports projects focused on habitat monitoring and restoration.
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Lola and her new bundle of joy will spend the next several months bonding backstage before joining the rest of the herd on the park’s Harambe Wildlife Reserve.
Rhinos are the world’s second largest land mammal, according to Disney, and typically weigh around 140 pounds at birth.
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