◎Argo Mama's Parenting Diary

Three weeks have passed since the news broke about the first birth of Eastern Black Rhinoceros in Argo (the birth took place on April 20, 2009). Baby video here The baby has been identified as female. The mother, Argo, is very calm, has plenty of milk, drinks and sleeps well, and both mother and baby are doing well.

To help the mother calm down, the indoor exhibition room was covered with bamboo blinds before the birth. This is where we prepared for the baby's debut.

The first week was spent practicing going to the next room. Although Argo is used to moving around, he basically never leaves the baby's side. The baby's steps are still unsteady, so it takes time for mother and child to move together. Occasionally, if Argo goes ahead alone, he will realize halfway there that the baby hasn't followed, and will come back in a panic, crying loudly.

With the opening day fast approaching, we removed the bamboo screen for about 30 minutes as practice for visitors to see the baby. However, while the baby remained calm when the staff were watching, it became restless as soon as the screen was removed, and began to gather straw with its horns, trying to hide the baby. Soon it started moving around quickly and ended up kicking the baby, which gave us a scare. Therefore, on the actual opening day, May 1, 2009, we left the bamboo screen in place, creating a gap of about 25 centimeters, and asked visitors to peek through there.

On May 11th, a day the zoo was closed after the long holiday weekend, we finally began practicing "playing in the enclosure." We allowed the animals to move freely between the indoor area and the enclosure, and observed them closely. After 25 minutes, Argo was the first to go out into the enclosure. Argo called out to the baby, but the baby seemed scared and backed away. This exchange was repeated several times, and after 45 minutes, the mother and baby finally came out into the enclosure together.

At first, the baby was scared, but it was so excited to be outside for the first time that it became incredibly thrilled! It ran around and jumped with such energy that it looked like it might fall over. The mother chased after it with all her might. The baby wouldn't stop moving, so the two of them went around and around for quite a while.

Through our practice sessions, the baby has gradually become accustomed to the environment, its steps have become more steady, and recently, we've even gotten better at moving together. Even if we get separated, when Argo calls out with a "coo-coo," the baby immediately responds and goes to its mother's side, which is reassuring. We will continue to practice slowly and carefully, at a pace that suits both parent and child.

Currently, Eastern Black Rhinoceros mother and calf can be seen from 1 PM, mainly in the indoor exhibit. Lucky visitors might even get to see the baby running around energetically in the enclosure!

Photo above: April 26, 2009
Photo below: May 11, 2009

[Kazumi Tada, Animal Care and Exhibition Staff, Ueno Zoo, Ueno West Garden]

(May 15, 2009)