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Zoo's Rhino Weighs More Than 1,000 Pounds on 1st Birthday

By Paul Biasco | August 26, 2014 2:45pm
 Lincoln Park Zoo's rhino King celebrated his first birthday alongside his mother Kapuki with a giant cardboard cake.
Lincoln Park Zoo's rhino King celebrated his first birthday alongside his mother Kapuki with a giant cardboard cake.
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DNAinfo/Paul Biasco

LINCOLN PARK — Lincoln Park Zoo's "baby" rhino celebrated his first birthday by tipping the scales at more than 1,000 pounds.

The zoo staff celebrated their eastern black rhino King's birthday Tuesday by presenting him with a 12-foot by 8-foot cardboard cake topped with a cardboard candle.

King was born Aug. 26, 2013, and was the first rhino born at the zoo in 25 years.

He was 60 pounds when his mother Kapuki birthed him, but has since grown to be more than 1,000 pounds.

King's daily diet consists of 40 to 50 pounds of hay, veggies, fruit and grain.

He also attempts to nurse from time to time, according to Mark Kamhout, the zoo's curator of mammals.

"His mom sometimes doesn't agree with that philosophy, but overall he is doing great," Kamhout said.

King's hobbies include testing out his growing horn by sparring with his mother, wallowing in the mud on raining days and running laps around his habitat.

He has also taken a liking to his keepers and will sometimes lay down for them while they pet him.

"Sometimes he acts like a big dog, if that's possible for a black rhino to act like," Kamhout said.

There are only about 5,000 black rhinos left in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Zoo scientists hope King can spur conservation efforts and raise awareness of that.

"When people come and see King, they can learn not only about the rhinos in Lincoln Park Zoo, but also the threats they face in the wild, which are very extreme," Kamhout said.

King remains separated from his dad Maku, who is about 3,000 pounds.

It will take two to three years until King reaches full size, when, in the wild, he would typically leave his mother and venture off on his own.

In the zoo's case, that could mean moving King to another zoo. 

There are only about 120 rhinos in accredited Association of Zoos and Aquariums zoos in the U.S.

"It's likely, him being a male, that he will go to another zoo, but he should do well there," Kamhout said.

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