Dakima and Nkosi have been snapped sharing a paddock

Over the last couple of months our rhino keepers have been slowly introducing our breeding pair

Dakima, our breeding female Eastern black rhino, joined us in 2016 and has been keeping our older female Manyara company separate from our breeding male Nkosi. Since then our keepers have been patiently introducing Dakima and Nkosi. Softly and slowly to begin with, moving them into adjoining paddocks, then adjoining bedrooms, where they could see and smell each other. Over the last couple of months, they have been allowing them short spells of direct contact and last week marked a momentous occasion when this image was captured by one of Folly Farm’s visitors of them grazing next to each other.

It’s early days yet, but we hope this means we may hear the tiny patter of baby rhino feet. With fewer than 650 of these magnificent animals left in the wild, it would not only be a monumental story for us here and for Wales but also for the Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP) for rhinos, for zoos and for the conservation of rhinos worldwide. The EEP, of which we are a member, has already stated sending captive bred rhinos rhinos back to Africa which is the ultimate goal for any zoo conservation project.

Tim Morphew, zoo curator at Folly Farm, said;

Chris Ebsworth, managing director at Folly Farm, added;