These adorable pictures show a tiny newborn baby rhino nuzzling up to her proud FOUR-TONNE mum.
The cute calf was born at Cotswold Wildlife Park in Burford, Glos., on July 1 this year but it took keepers over a month to determine its sex.
But yesterday, staff revealed it was a baby girl and had been named Astrid.
Cute snaps show tiny Astrid, who hasn’t even got her own horn yet, staying close to her giant mother.
She can be seen nuzzling into the bigger rhino’s leg and even lying down near some hay while her mum keeps a close eye on her.
Baby Astrid weighs 50kg (7st) compared to her mum who tips the scales at a whopping four-tonnes (3,600kg).
Remarkably, the new arrival is the only baby rhino to have been born at Cotswold Wildlife Park in its 43-year history.
Astrid was born to first time parents Nancy and Monty, who are both seven-year-old white rhinos.
Nancy – who was named by the David Cameron after his daughter – travelled to the Oxfordshire park from Mafunyane Game Farm in South Africa in 2009.
Despite her huge bulk, mum Nancy shows remarkable tenderness towards her offspring.
Mark Godwin, Deputy Assistant Curator at the park, said: “Astrid is a real character.
“She’s only one month old but is already charging around the paddock, much to the entertainment of visitors.
“Her mum, Nancy, is proving to be an exceptional first-time mum and the two have bonding perfectly.
“Astrid is growing in confidence day-by-day. It’s been 43 years in the waiting, but she is well worth it.
“We’re hoping Nancy will have another calf in the future so Astrid will have a brother or sister with a bit of luck.”
Female rhinos only reproduce every two-and-a-half to five years meaning the window of opportunity for successful reproduction is limited.
The white rhinos were on the verge of extinction in the early 1900s, when it was believed only 20 to 50 animals remained in their native African homeland.
They are now the most common of the five rhino species but poaching has escalated in the last three years – driven by demand for their horns from the traditional medicine market of China and the Far East.
