The Southern white rhino calf born last week at Werribee Open Range Zoo has died from internal injuries sustained after her birth.
The five-day-old female calf suffered a neurological episode just before midnight Saturday, followed by cardiac arrest.
Zoo veterinary staff were unable to resuscitate her.
Werribee Open Range Zoo director Mark Pilgrim said staff were devastated but had done an excellent job in caring for the newborn during these first critical days.
“The death of any animal is challenging for all involved, but we can find comfort in the knowledge that every action was taken to ensure the calf was receiving the best care possible,” Dr Pilgrim said.
A necropsy conducted at the University of Melbourne veterinarian school confirmed the calf sustained a broken scapula, attributable to interactions with her mother in the immediate hours post-birth. It’s suspected blood clots at the fracture site led to the neurological signs and cardiac arrest. Histopathology results are pending and due in two weeks.
First-time mother Kipenzi gave birth just before 4am on Tuesday March 21 following a 16-month pregnancy.
Following the birth, keepers observed an absence of healthy bonding, with the calf not thriving as expected during the important first hours of infancy. After consultation with the zoo’s veterinary team, the calf was brought to the zoo’s vet clinic for medical checks and supplementary feeding.
The calf was being provided with around-the-clock feeds of colostrum and milk obtained from its mother and was in the process of being reintroduced to mum. However, remained under veterinary care during the critical early days.
“We know this news will bring sadness to our zoo community, and our kind thoughts are with them and all who cared for this precious calf, and particularly with our vet and keeping teams who worked tirelessly to care for the calf over the past five days,” Dr Pilgrim said.
