ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

Ntombi (right) and Tala

Update - Friday 12 September 2008

It has been confirmed that the rhino calf born yesterday is a boy.Μύ He has been called Zimba.

Park director David Gill said: "This is one of the most important births in the history of the park.

"Very few establishments breed white rhinos, we are being told there were only two births within Europe last year, which makes it even more amazing to think we have been successful twice at our first attempt."

Tala arrived in the park from a private breeding reserve in South Africa in 2003.

UpdateΜύ - Thursday 11th September 2008

Tala's given birth!

Just before 4pm today Tala gave birth to her calf some 16+ weeks after the expected due date!

Update - Friday 15th August 2008

The webcam has now been moved to the pen of Tala.Μύ She is also pregnant and is due to give birth soon.Μύ

You can see the images from the birth of Nyala using the links to the right of this page. She was born on the 1st June 2008 to seven year old mum Ntombi.

Keep your eye on the webcam for the first images of the birth.

If you are visiting the park why not send in your photos of Nyala and her mum for our gallery. Send them to cumbria@bbc.co.uk

Update - Wednesday 4 June 2008

Nyala was born on the 1st June 2008 to seven year old mum Ntombi.

Seven year old mum Ntombi arrived in the park from a private breeding reserve in South Africa in September 2003 and since then has been inseparable from 10 year old Male Mazungu.ΜύΜύ

It has been a long waiting game since pregnancy was confirmed in 2007 as the gestation period is between 15-16 months – but now the wait is over.

Ntombi and calf Nyala

This is the first rhino birth at the park.

Tala, the other pregnant rhino at the South Lakes Wild Animal Park,Μύ is due to give birth before the end of June 2008.

About the animals

The white rhino or Wide Lipped Rhino is the world's second largest land mammal by mass.Μύ Weighing up to three tonnes, only the African elephant is larger.

Rhinos rely mostly on their sense of smell and they have rather poor vision. Their hearing is good. Rhinos make many sounds, from roars and squeals to bleats.

White rhinos have no incisors or canine teeth and use their square lips to graze or browse large areas of grassland.

White rhinoceros is taken from the Afrikaans word describing its mouth: β€œweit”, meaning "wide". Early English settlers in South Africa misinterpreted the "weit" for "white".

The horns of rhino are unusual in that they lie along the middle of the snout and do not have a bony centre. They are made of many fibres of the same chemical that makes hair and nails.

Calves weigh around 70kg at birth.