THE PONDS in Dublin Zoo are still glazed over with ice and, by the looks of it, some animals are still feeling the cold. Three monkeys huddle on a branch together for warmth – hear no evil, see no evil, feel no cold.
In the frosty savannah the zoo’s penultimate newborn, a Rothschild giraffe calf, watches jealously as her taller elders pick at a nearby tree. Born last month, the baby giraffe was kept in from the bad weather until last week.
Of course she is thin-skinned compared to the zoo’s newest addition, a male southern white rhinoceros calf born last Friday, December 10th.
Yesterday, on its first official outing, the as-yet-unnamed newborn is already attracting much attention.
Only five days old, he bounds around the enclosure and only bumps into the fence once, good going considering his sight has not fully developed.
Like his mother Ashanti and sister Zuki before him, the new calf will be named by the public. Suggestions are welcome via post, e-mail or through the Dublin Zoo Facebook page.
