Werribee Zoo’s rare mother-raised rhino calf grows horns

A “miracle” rhino calf at Werribee Open Range Zoo in Victoria has started to sprout his horns, marking the next chapter of his remarkable journey.

The cute calf called Jabulani (pronounced: Jab-oo-lah-nee) made headlines in 2024 as Victoria’s first successfully mother-raised calf in more than 20 years.

Werribee Open Range Zoo savannah* keeper Alison Edwards said it was exciting to watch.

“Rhinos are born without horns but they start to grow as they age,” Ms Edwards said. “Jabulani’s primary* horn was the first one to grow, and throughout the past couple of months the second one has begun to grow too.

“The first thing that happens is the skin gets quite rough and lumpy. Then it breaks and it’s like a pimple is erupting!”

Jabulani was born in August 2024 to 15-year-old father Kifaru (pronounced Kif-are-oo) and 11-year-old mother Kipenzi (pronounced Ki-pen-zee). The successful birth delighted zoo staff, who are still marvelling at the remarkable bond Jabulani has formed with his mother. Kipenzi herself was hand-reared by keepers and has never experienced mothering. But Kipenzi’s maternal instincts have kicked in to care for Jabulani.

Ms Edwards said it has been incredible seeing Jabulani’s physical growth and charismatic* personality evolve.

“We think, in comparison to humans, he’s in his terrible twos at the moment – and you can see that in his behaviours,” she said. “You’ll often see him chasing zebras, sniffing giraffe or sparring* with his aunties and grandmothers.

“He is a very confident individual and is extremely bold, which is exactly what we want to see from a little bull* rhino.

“We estimate that he was born at about 60kg. Now at a year old, he’s putting on 2kg per day and weighs 730kg – that’s the equivalent of a combined 250 domestic cats. But even with that remarkable growth, he’s still staying close by mum and his eight tonnes of rhino family ‘bodyguards’.

“As time goes by, he’ll start to ween himself off from mum and begin to explore more on his own.”

A rhino’s horn is made from keratin*, which is the same stuff as human hair and nails. Just like fingerprints, every rhino’s horn is unique. In white rhinos, the front horn can reach 1.5m long, while the rear grows up to 55cm. The horns grow continuously like fingernails, though digging, rubbing and sparring usually prevent them from reaching extreme lengths.

Southern white rhinos are native to Africa and are classified as near threatened*, with as few as 10,080 remaining in the wild. They face increasing threats including poaching* for the illegal trade of rhino horn* and habitat destruction as well as fragmentation* due to human population and infrastructure* growth.

Werribee Open Range Zoo is part of the Australasian* southern white rhino zoo breeding program which plays an important role supporting conservation efforts for wild rhino populations. The zoo educates people about the risks threatening rhinos while also nurturing genetically diverse* groups in protected zoo environments. It also supports fundraising efforts to conserve the species in their native home.

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GLOSSARY

• savannah: a large, flat grassland with few trees – a habitat that rhinos generally live in
• primary: main
• charismatic: full of personality and character
• sparring: fighting
• bull: male
• keratin: a type of fibrous protein that forms the structure of scales, hair, nails, hoofs and horns in invertebrates
• near threatened: a conservation status for species that are at risk of becoming endangered or vulnerable in the near future
• poaching: illegally hunting or capturing wild animals
• rhino horn: rhino horn has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for more than 2000 years however there is no real proof that it works as a treatment. People have also been known to illegally collect rhino horns as symbols of social status in Vietnam
• fragmentation: breaking up of habitat due to humans building on the land
• infrastructure: buildings and structures used by humans to run societies, such as roads, railways, water supply networks and sewerage systems
• Australasian: part of Oceania, including Australia, New Zealand, the Malay Archipelago, the Philippines, Melanesia (New Guinea and nearby islands, including New Caledonia and Fiji), Micronesia, and Polynesia
• genetically diverse: containing a mix of genes from the one species to make it more resilient and stronger for breeding and conservation purposes

EXTRA READING
White rhino calf wins hearts in Oz
Radioactive rhino horns to curb poaching
Zoo welcomes southern white rhino calf

QUICK QUIZ
1. What made Jabulani’s birth and upbringing extra special?
2. How old is Jabulani now?
3. How much weight does he put on each day?
4. What are rhinos’ horns made out of?
5. How many rhinos are thought to be left in the wild?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Baby rhino growth chart
Compare the growth and development of a baby rhino to that of a human by using a timeline. Compare key stages mentioned in the Kids News article comparing Jabulani to a human baby as they grow and progress.

Jabulani timeline                                                                                       Human baby timeline

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Why do you think rhino horns are a popular item for poachers to gain and sell?

How can governments aim to stop the killing of rhinos for their horns?

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.