THIS baby white rhino was the perfect Easter present for Cotswold Wildlife Park.

After a 15-month long pregnancy, mum Ruby took everyone by surprise by giving birth to Ian in a lightning-quick 10 minutes.

The tiny calf is 11 days old today and is thriving.

It is yet to be weighed by the wildlife park staff but the average baby white rhino comes in at about 50 pounds.

Suckling on his mother’s milk, Ian – who was named after a pioneering South African conservationist – is expected to grow by three pounds a day and has become the fifth member of the rhino family at the Burford park.

Cotswold Wildlife Park curator Jamie Craig said: “Although we were expecting the birth, it still took us by surprise at the time.

“After careful preparations for a nice, quiet arrival, Ian was born in full view of many of the staff here at lunchtime on Friday and Ruby allowed us a full graphic view of his entry into the world – an experience we will never forget.

“Although still very early days, he seems strong and Ruby appears to be an attentive mother.”

  • Advisory: The video below is of the birth of the baby Rhino

The birth is another step in the resurgence of the animal, which was once one of the rarest subspecies of any rhino and were on the verge of extinction in the early 1900s.

It was believed only 20 to 50 animals remained in their native African homeland then, but now it is estimated there are about 20,000 worldwide.

Ian was named after conservationist Ian Player, who was one of those responsible for helping to rescue the species.

The park’s acquired its original rhino pair, called Lebombo and Somtuli, from Umfolozi – a nature reserve in South Africa – in 1972 as a direct result of Mr Player’s rhino conservation initiatives with the Natal Parks Board.

Father Monty and mum Ruby, named after friend of the park Ruby Wax, are both nine years old.

In 2009, Ruby – along with another female called Nancy – made the 11,000 km journey from Mafunyane Game Farm in South Africa to the UK to join young male Monty at their new Oxfordshire home.

It was hoped they would successfully produce the park’s first ever rhino calf. Monty has since fathered two; Nancy gave birth to Astrid on July 1, 2013, and Ian followed 20 months later.

Female rhinos only reproduce every two-and-a-half to five years, so the window of opportunity for successful reproduction is limited.

Oxford Mail:

  • Young Ian

It was not just the proud rhino parents that got an Easter treat – the park’s mob of meerkats were given brightly-painted boiled eggs for a festive feast.

The African mammals were given six eggs to mark the Easter weekend. Mr Craig said: “This Easter week seemed the ideal time to give our group of meerkats some hard boiled decorated eggs as enrichment. By rolling the eggs around, the meerkats need to work hard to receive their reward.”