Another baby rhino born Friday at NC Zoo

Friday the 13th was a lucky day for the NC Zoo in Asheboro. Early in the morning, Kit, a southern white rhino, gave birth to her baby in the zoo's Watani Grassland habitat.

Just last week, another rhino, Linda, also had a calf -- the first southern white rhino to be born in NC in 41 years. The NC Zoo now has nine white rhinos and five available for the public to see. Kit's two calves don’t have names yet, but the zoo will be releasing them soon.

The zoo says that southern white rhinos grow to be 12 to 13 feet long and can weigh up to 5,000 pounds.

These rhinos are so rare because at the beginning of the 20th century they were hunted for their horns because some people erroneously believe they provided medical benefits, the zoo said.

"Congratulations again to the North Carolina Zoo on this second birth of a southern white rhino! The zoo's efforts to save this species are yet another example of the leadership role the zoo plays in conserving important species both at home and around the world," said Susi Hamilton, secretary of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The Zoo has had rhinos since 1976 and is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) to keep a sustainable population of southern white rhinos under human care.