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Endangered Black Rhino Born At Lincoln Park Zoo

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A rare baby Black Rhino was born at Lincoln Park Zoo. (Credit: Lincoln Park Zoo)

CHICAGO (CBS) -- It'll be a week or two before the public can see him -- but Lincoln Park Zoo has a new baby - a black rhino born this week.

He doesn't have a name yet, WBBM Newsradio's Steve Miller reports.

The black rhino calf was born Monday at Lincoln Park Zoo to first-time mother 8-year-old Kapuki.

"She's been absolutely fantastic. Within several hours, the calf was getting up and nursing," said Mark Kamhout, curator of mammals at the zoo.

He said the calf weighed 60 pounds at birth - and he's growing.

"When they first come out they look a little skinny, as you can imagine, but once they start drinking mom's milk they put on a lot of weight. Sometimes up to 10 pounds a day."

Black rhinos are critically endangered in the wild.

Lincoln Park Zoo now has four.

The calf's father, by the way, is 27 years old.

And that's old.

Life expectancy for a rhino is only about 18 years.

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