Basel Zoo welcomes Indian rhinoceros calf Xshama

Basel Zoo has welcomed an Indian rhinoceros calf named Xshama, born on November 5 after a 489-day pregnancy, SRF reported. The birth shortly before midnight was calm, according to the zoo.

The nine-year-old mother, Shakti, has now had her second calf. Her first, Tican, was born in 2022. The calf’s father, 11-year-old Puri, has become a father for the first time.

Shakti and Xshama are spending their first days together in the stable. The zoo said this reflects the animals’ solitary way of life: females stay with their young, which set the daily rhythm, while mothers intervene only if danger arises.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists Indian rhinoceroses as endangered. Basel Zoo said their population has fallen sharply in recent years. The zoo has bred the species for 70 years. In 1956, a male named Rudra became the first Indian rhinoceros to be born in a zoo, an event considered a sensation at the time. Since then, 38 have been born at the Basel zoo.