Overview

• Cleveland Metroparks Zoo said a male calf was born Sept. 13 to 22-year-old Kabibbi and 25-year-old Forrest and is bonding off exhibit ahead of a debut at the Daniel Maltz Rhino Reserve.
• The Cleveland calf will be named with public input in a zoo-led effort to raise awareness and support for rhino conservation.
• Lincoln Park Zoo confirmed that 20-year-old Kapuki is pregnant after hormone analysis of noninvasively collected fecal samples, with a calf expected in early spring 2026.
• The Chicago calf will be Kapuki’s third and her first with 21-year-old male Utenzi, and it will be managed under the Eastern Black Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan.
• Both zoos emphasized the species’ critically endangered status and noted ongoing threats from poaching and habitat loss, with coverage citing differing wild population estimates from various sources.