- Title: GERMANY: PATNA THE NEW BORN BABY RHINO IN PLASTER CAST AFTER FOOT INJURY
- Date: 25th March 2006
- Summary: (L!3) BERLIN, GERMANY (JULY 27, 2004) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SIX-DAY-OLD RHINO BABY "PATNA" WITH LEFT FRONT LEG IN GREEN CAST IN INDOOR ENCLOSURE PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES ZOOKEEPER STROKING RHINO BABY CLOSE-UP OF CAST RHINO BABY LIMPING IN STRAW REPORTERS WATCHING CLOSE-UP OF RHINO BABY SNIFFING ON APPLE, WOUND ON LEFT SIDE OF FACE AFTER FALLING AGAINST WALL BECAUSE OF LEG INJURY CLOSE-UP OF CAST (SOUNDBITE) (German) JOACHIM KORMANN, ZOOLOGIST SAYING: "The birth of little Patna went without complications. The relationship between mother and child is good and the mother is very caring but also very nervous and this is how it must have happened. We have no other explanation but that the mother unintentionally stepped onto (Patna's leg). So the veterinarian had to put a cast on its leg." MOTHER BETTY IN INDOOR ENCLOSURE WALKING BACK AND FORTH
- Embargoed: 9th April 2006 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City:
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA4I75HE1C0M9VGEF54CDY9GY89
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: A new born baby rhino is in a plaster cast after it injured its foot only one day after its birth.
Only one week after its birth, little baby rhino Patna has already been through rough times. First, it broke its leg as its mother must have accidentally stepped on it and then it fell against a wall as it couldn't walk properly with the plaster.
Born last week (July 21) to mother Betty and father Belur, Patna will have to wear the plaster cast on his left lower leg for up to five weeks to heal the broken leg.
The incident is not the first in the zoo, which now houses seven rhinos.
In 2002, mother Betty, also born in the zoo, killed her first child by treading on the baby shortly after birth, according to a zoo keeper caring for the rhinos.
Zoo keepers had waited in keen anticipation of Betty's second baby, the zoo's second this year. After a 15 month pregnancy, 57-kilo Patna arrived right on time.
Then the morning after birth they noticed that the baby was limping and called in the vet.
"We have no other explanation but that the mother unintentionally steeped onto (Patna's leg). So the veterinarian had to put a cast on its leg", zoologist Joachim Kormann said.
Both mother, 9, and son are doing well and keepers expect a full recovery.
The baby has already put on five kilos since birth.
According to zoo keepers, rhinos have relatively short legs so broken bones are not such a problem. Berlin zoo said that every year only four or five rhinos are born in zoos in Europe. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None