Irish wildlife park reveals name of ten-week-old Indian rhino after public competition

An Irish wildlife park has announced the name of a ten-week-old Indian rhino following a public competition. 

Fota Wildlife Park has revealed that the baby rhino - born after a gestation period of 16 months to mother Maya and father Jamil - has been named Jai. 

He is the first of his kind born in Ireland and one of only six Indian rhino births in any zoological institution in the world this year. 

The species is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with 3300 living in the wild.  

Lead Ranger, Aidan Rafferty said, "We are absolutely delighted to see how Jai is thriving. Currently he’s feeding from his mother Maya but he’s also starting to pick at some grass and hay. A healthy rhino calf will put on about one to two kilos a day in weight at this stage of their lives. He’s a very lively and inquisitive calf. Visitors can usually get on opportunity to see him in the afternoons when he’s outside in his paddock with his mother, generally running about and playing! 

"There has been a great reaction from the public and visitors to news of his birth, and we received nearly one thousand name suggestions over the last few weeks. After much consideration we settled on Jai. The name really suits him, and he really is a triumph and victory for breeding success here at Fota, for the species conservation work we do and raising awareness about the loss of biodiversity worldwide." 

Jai, who weighed 60 kilos at birth now weighs over 165 kilos.

His name was suggested by Cliodhna Kellegher from County Leitrim, who has won a year-long Conservation Pass to Fota Wildlife Park. 

There are now four Indian rhino at the park including Maya, Jamil, Jai, and a non-breeding male, Shusto.