A male Indian rhino calf was born at Zoo Basel
Shakti gave birth to Xshama on November 5 after 489 days. SRF reported that mother and calf are well, and that this is the father's first offspring.
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A male Indian rhinoceros named Xshama was born at Zoo Basel shortly before midnight on November 5. SRF reported the birth on November 10, 2026. His mother, the nine-year-old Shakti, carried him for 489 days. The birth was calm. This is her second calf, after Tican in 2022, and the first offspring of the eleven-year-old father, Puri. The zoo said mother and calf are well.
Shakti and Xshama are spending their first days in the stall, which fits a species that usually lives alone, with mothers staying with their young. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Indian rhino as vulnerable, and the zoo said the wild population has fallen sharply in recent years. Basel has bred the species for 70 years. In 1956 the bull Rudra was the first Indian rhino born in any zoo, and 38 have been born in Basel since then. The news is this one calf. It is not a new count of rhinos in the wild.
For the classroom
SRF reported on November 10, 2026, that a male Indian rhinoceros calf named Xshama was born at Zoo Basel. He arrived shortly before midnight on November 5, after his mother, Shakti, carried him for 489 days. Shakti is nine. This is her second calf. The father, Puri, is eleven, and this is his first baby. The birth was calm, and mother and calf are well. They are spending their first days in the stall. Indian rhinos are listed as vulnerable. In 1956 a calf named Rudra, born in Basel, was the first of this species born in a zoo. Since then, 38 have been born there.
- Why might a mother rhino and her calf stay in the stall for the first days?
- What is one thing a zoo can do for an animal that is scarce in the wild?
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Basel, SwitzerlandZoosWildlife conservationGood news on November 10
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