MILKMEN in Burford must be rejoicing thanks to one of Cotswold Wildlife Park’s newest additions.

Belle the rhino was born in October and, due to an issue with her leg, has had to be hand reared by staff.

One of the main jobs of the Burford park’s keepers is ensuring the young calf is given enough milk.

The thirsty youngster requires more than 40 litres a day, which is more than most animals consume in their lifetime.

Park curator Jamie Craig said: “It’s hand rearing on a mammoth scale. I’ve hand reared a lot of animals but I’ve never seen an animal drink so much milk.

“I think the local dairies are doing well thanks to the amount we’ve been going through. The empties have been piling up.”

When Belle was born at the beginning of October keepers realised there was a weakness in one of her front legs.

To help fix the problem, Belle’s leg was placed in a cast for a week and staff made the decision to hand rear her before returning her to her mother, Nancy.

In the early days of the hand rearing, keepers had to spend 24 hours a day with Belle, spending nights with the rhino in her enclosure.

Keepers also had the unenviable task of milking Belle’s mother during the early stages.

Mr Craig said: “So much can go wrong so you’re always scrutinising them and looking so closely.

“There was a lot of work for a few weeks.”

She was recently reintroduced to her mother and the two have been engaging with one another well.

Mr Craig added: “It’s hard to say whether her mum knows its her calf or not but a relationship is building there.

“We’ve done everything we can and it’s up to them now.”

After a few years Belle will be taken elsewhere to breed.