PITTSBURGH — Azizi, an 11-year-old black rhinoceros at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium in Highland Park, is expecting a wrinkly bundle of four-footed joy.
Officials at the zoo say the calf, expected to be born in September, would be the first rhino delivered there in 47 years.
"We're very excited," said Dr. Barbara Baker, president and CEO of the zoo. "This was two years in the making."
Handlers said the calf was conceived on June 4. The father is Jomo, a 17-year-old black rhino born at the San Diego Zoo who came to Pittsburgh when he was 1.
Handlers said Azizi, born at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, showed increased hormone levels, indicating she was pregnant. An ultrasound confirmed it.
Dr. Ginger Takle, the zoo's director of animal health, said handlers will pay special attention to Azizi during the 15-month gestation period, during which they will baby-proof the rhinoceros enclosure.
"I'm extremely excited,"Takle said. "The kids are really cute."
This article was written by Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE.
WPXI
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