Gender of Rietvlei rhino calf revealed

Nature conservation officials at the Rietvlei nature reserve have finally been able to determine the gender of the baby rhino which was born two weeks ago.

The calf is a male and will be named Alpha.

Names are determined alphabetically and Alpha is the first to be born since the last name (Zulu) was allocated.

The calf was spotted for the first time on Sunday, 28 March.

Tshwane MMC for environment and agriculture management Dana Wannenburg said that his mother kept him well away from visitors.

READ MORE: Rietvlei nature reserve welcomes new rhino calf

“As we head into the winter months and with conservation officials running a supplementary feeding programme, young Alpha will become more used to human contact and it will become much easier for the public to see him when they visit the reserve,” he said.

India was relocated to Rietvlei from the Hluhluwe game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal in 2011, and her first calf was born in Rietvlei in 2014.

Alpha is the fourth calf she has added to the nature reserve’s rhino population.

Almost a year ago, Rhino Pippa gave birth to a female calf Zola.

There are no updates as to when the two Botswana cheetah males, which were relocated to the reserve to join female Njozi, will be released into the greater reserve yet.

“They would have been released a few weeks ago, but unfortunately, one of the males contracted an illness and it was decided to delay their release until both are fit and well.”

Upgrading of the security at Rietvlei is still underway as the reserve is planning to re-introduce lions.

“We will provide more details as the project progresses,” Wannenburg said.

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