ZOOKEEPERS at Chester Zoo have revealed the name of a rare baby rhino born last month.

Meet Akeno, the greater one horned rhino calf – only the second of his kind to ever be born at the zoo.

The name Akeno is of Asian origin, meaning 'beautiful sunrise'.

And since his birth, he's definitely been giving his mum the run-around!

Greater one horned rhinos can weigh up to 2.4 tonnes but, despite their bulky size, can run at speeds of up to 25mph.

And although at just one-month-old Akeno has a lot of growing to do, keepers say he has bundles of energy and is proving a real handful for mum, Asha.

Rhino facts

  • Mum Asha (11) gave birth to Akeno at around 6pm on May 3. 
  • Dad Beni is 13-years-old
  • The birth of Akeno was captured by CCTV footage at the zoo
  • Greater one horned rhinos live in north-east India and southern Nepal
  • Their scientific name is Rhinoceros unicornis giving a nod to their one horn
  • The greater one-horned rhino is listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
  • At one stage, the greater one-horn rhino was hunted almost to extinction and there were less than 200 in the wild.
  • Steps to protect them were taken just in time and today there are around 3,500 in India and Nepal
  • The animals are threatened in the wild by the illegal poaching of their horns and habitat loss
  • Chester Zoo is part of a breeding programme coordinated by the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) that is focused on sustaining the greater one-horned rhino population
  • Akeno is only the second greater one-horned rhino to ever be born at the zoo and the first for four and half years