COTSWOLD Wildlife Park has celebrated the birth of two rhino calves with some well-known famous faces.
Ruby Wax and Simon Cowell visited the park after the birth of two baby rhinos within the same week, making them the tenth and eleventh to be born there within a decade.
This marked the first time in the park’s history that two rhinos have given birth in the space of one week - something that has been labelled a "momentous chapter in the Park’s history".
Reggie Heyworth explained: “It is so exciting to welcome a white rhino calf into the world. So it is even more amazing that in the space of one week, both our wonderful female rhinos, Nancy and Ruby, have now had calves!
“What joy they have brought to us all, they are just the most charismatic and lovely animals and visitors and staff alike are absolutely entranced by them.
“My father, the founder of the wildlife park, died in 2012 just before our first calf was born but I’m sure that he would be absolutely over the moon if he knew Rhinos are a real Heyworth favourite!”
Reggie added: “Dear friends of the wildlife park, Ruby Wax and her husband Ed Bye, were the very first to see our new baby rhino, while we were still keeping his mum ‘Ruby’ and him under observation.
“Ruby named the Rhino mum ‘Ruby’ when she arrived all the way from South Africa back in 2009, just ahead of the wildife park’s Ruby Anniversary in March 2010.
“It really has been a double celebration, welcoming a new baby rhino and seeing Ruby and Ed again - such supportive visitors of the wildlife park.”
The births occurred last month during the park’s ‘Rhino Month’ - where it holds a month-long fundraising and awareness campaign.
Headkeeper Mark Godwin said Ruby’s boisterous baby is “the most confident calf he’s ever encountered” in his 36 years of looking after rhinos at the Park.
The new male was named Henry auctioned off to raise money for rhino conservation but coincidentally, it’s also the name of Mark’s son.
Mark named a female calf a couple of years ago after his daughter Molly. Now both of his children, who live on-site at the park, share the same name as two of the park’s rhino calves.
The female calf was named Susie.
As part of this, the park auctioned off a 23.75 carat gold-leafed rhino dropping to raise funds for UK-based conservation charity Tusk.
The park revealed that Simon Cowell visited with his family and placed the opening bid on the unique object of £2,500.
This eventually sold for £5,050.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel