MARKUS is the newest addition to the Rhino family at Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens. He is the twelfth Rhino calf to be born at the Burford collection in twelve years – a tremendous achievement.
Births in captivity are extremely rare. In fact, the Park is responsible for the UK’s only White Rhino birth this year. In total, just five White Rhinos were born in European zoological collections in 2025. The youngster is healthy and nursing well from Nancy, an exceptional and attentive mother. This is her seventh calf with breeding male Monty.
It’s rare to catch Rhino births on camera as females usually give birth during the night. Luckily, keepers were present the evening Markus was born. In less than 45 minutes, the sixteen-month pregnancy was over, and Nancy gave birth to a male calf. Mammal Keeper Liam Klingsick caught the moment on film (footage available in email link). Head Keeper Mark Godwin also witnessed Markus’s entry into the world. Mark has worked at the Park for 35 years and has looked after the ever-growing ‘crash’ of Rhinos for the last 12 years.
Mark said:
“He’s one of the most confident calves I’ve seen. Newborns weigh approximately 70kgs at birth and put on roughly 1.5-2kgs a day in weight. If he grows into his features, he will be a big lad.”
Females only reproduce every two to three years, so the window of opportunity for successful reproduction is limited. After a gestation period of sixteen to eighteen months, a single calf is born. This is one of the longest gestation periods of any land mammal, surpassed only by the twenty-two-month gestation period of an Elephant. A newborn Rhino calf will stand up within one hour of birth and immediately attempt to suckle, although he or she may be a little unsteady on their feet for the first few days. The calf will remain under the watchful eye of its mother, suckling from her for approximately one year. Their bond is an intensely strong one, and the youngster will remain with her for at least two years, benefiting from her protection. Females guard their offspring aggressively and are intimidating adversaries if challenged.
Markus soon after his birth. Photograph credit: Rory Carnegie.White Rhinos (Ceratotherium simum ssp. simum) have always been an important species at the Park, and much thought is given to naming these iconic animals. The calf has been named in memory of one of the most influential conservation scientists to have worked in Africa over the last half-century.
Reggie Heyworth, Chairman of Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, explains:
“We have named our new arrival, Nancy’s 7th calf, Markus, after the late Doctor Markus Borner. He gave me my break into conservation when he was head of Frankfurt Zoological Society in Tanzania. It’s a long story, but basically, he appointed me project leader of FZS’s Tanzania Rhino Conservation Programme in 1992. It sounds grand, but in fact, at the time, there was a known population of only 12 Black Rhinos in northern Tanzania and maybe a couple of dozen dotted around the rest of the country, mostly in northern Selous Game Reserve in the southeast of the country. So there remained maybe 50 in total in the whole country, from a population of 20,000 in 1970 (very roughly estimated). The rest had all been wiped out by poachers in the 1980s.
“In other words, everything was on the floor and the only way was up! By the time Markus died in 2020, Tanzania’s Serengeti ecosystem had substantially been re-populated with a potentially viable population of Black Rhinos, and I’m not the only one who would find it difficult to think of anybody else who had more of a positive influence on that outcome than Markus Borner. He was not only a giant of conservation but also my incredibly supportive boss, and he became one of my best friends.”
Doctor Markus Borner received a number of awards during his lifetime, including the prestigious Blue Planet Prize in 2016, which recognised his lifetime contribution to conservation science. Our great thanks to Professor Sarah Cleaveland for kindly sharing this image of him with us. His memory lives on in the Park’s Rhino family.
This new addition brings the total number of Rhinos currently residing at the Park to eight – the highest number on show at any one time in the Park’s fifty-five-year history. It is also one of the largest family groups on show anywhere in the country. As well as filming the birth, keepers believe they may have also caught the conception on camera for the first time too (photos/video in email link). A memorable day for keepers and visitors alike as Monty’s amorous intentions lasted some considerable time and attracted quite the crowd!
Markus is proving to be a high-spirited and boisterous addition to the “crash” (the collective noun for a group of Rhinos). He has been delighting visitors with his energetic outbursts. HQ videos, including his first venture out onto the large Rhino paddock, are available in the email link. Visitors can see the new calf daily from 10am in the solar-powered Rhino House or the large Rhino paddock overlooking the Manor House.
Protecting wildlife beyond the Park
Cotswold Wildlife Park is committed to Rhino conservation and works closely with the UK-based conservation charity Tusk to protect Africa’s many threatened species. Over the last ten years, the Park has raised over £120,000 for Tusk’s conservation work in Africa through various fundraising events. In October 2021, Reggie Heyworth, a Tusk Trustee for nine years, ran the London Marathon in aid of Tusk and raised over £12,000 for the charity.
For more information about Tusk, please visit www.tusk.org.
