Adorable, right? | 22 Words

In the most remarkable news this week, an endangered species of white rhino has been born at Disney's Animal Kingdom and the pictures have been nothing short of adorable!

In recent years, rhino numbers have been dwindling.

While these majestic animals once flourished throughout various parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, today, it is believed that as little as 29,000 remain in the wild, according to the WWF.

It is a devastating situation.

Today, rhinos can only be found in parts of Africa, and very few are able to survive outside of national parks and nature reserves.

But why is this?

How can a species, that once thrived in the wild, struggle to exist without human assistance?

Well, poachers can be thanked for that.

For decades now, rhinos have been poached to the brink of extinction... And it is all for their horn.

The demand for rhino horn has long been rife across many parts of Asia.

Rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine, but, more commonly, it is used as a status symbol to display success and wealth.

Over the years, the slaughter of rhinos has become steadily more controversial...

But this means that poachers have only been becoming a larger threat.

Poachers are now being supplied by international criminal gangs with sophisticated equipment to track and kill rhinos...

Meaning that they have been killing rhinos at an even more alarming rate than before.

The issue of poaching has been notoriously difficult to manage...

But that's why many endangered species have been taken to zoos in order to breed them in captivity.

Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida is one of the main centers for breeding...

And recently, there's been a new addition to the rhino crash ("crash" is the collective term for rhinos!).

On October 25th, right before Halloween, a mother rhino gave birth to a calf.

Kendi, who was born at the park herself back in 1999, gave birth to a male calf who has stolen all of our hearts.

The unnamed baby is now the eleventh white rhino to be born at the zoo.

He will join the rest of the rhinos in the next few weeks, where visitors to the park's Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction will have the chance to see him in person.

In a statement released by Disney, they explained:

"Calf and mother are doing well under the keepers' watchful eyes. While rhinos are gregarious by nature, for now, the calf is resting, nursing and bonding with his mom."

Kendi was paired up with male rhino Dugan through a special breeding process...

The Species Survival Plans overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums make sure endangered animals are being bred properly.

The White Rhino has been on the list for years now, with the numbers dwindling down very quickly...

So this announcement has been nothing short of remarkable!

But this isn't the only good news...

Because 2 other females are expected to give birth next year! "This is especially significant, as white rhinos - the world's second-largest land animal - are an endangered species with a near-threatened status."

Adorable, right?

We can't wait to see what the little calf will be named. If you're in the mood for more news about the importance of anti-poaching, then keep scrolling...