Lincoln Park Zoo’s baby rhino finally has a name — Romeo!
A long-time zoo supporter picked the name for the eastern black rhinoceros calf, born May 19, according to a zoo spokesperson. The species is critically endangered.
Kapuki, Romeo’s 13-year-old mother, spent a month bonding with her newborn calf inside before they were finally given access to their outdoor habitat June 18 — not that Romeo was too psyched about it.
Though he poked his head out, Romeo barely stepped outside. Trainers tried to lure Kapuki out with food, treats and other tactics, hoping her son would follow, but the rhinos were content to stay indoors and have been since, the zoo said.
“Every day, the animals have the choice to be in whatever part of the habitat,” Mike Murray, the zoo’s curator of mammals, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “This is not unusual for a rhino to choose not to go somewhere.”
Since his big-city debut, Romeo has learned targeted, positive-reinforcement training, and he stepped on the scale for the first time, weighing a whopping 174 pounds.
If the rain stays away, Kapuki and Romeo may finally start spending more time outdoors where zoogoers can visit them.
