The young rhino was born on Dec. 30 and is the 31st white rhino to be born in the zoo, which takes pride in being one of the leading zoos in rhino breeding.

According to zoologist Keren Or, the rhino mother gave birth in the African park before zookeepers could lure her into a fenced area where she could deliver safely.

Both mother and baby rhinos stayed in a safe, fenced area for a few more weeks before the newborn managed to get out of it and began exploring her new home, while still staying close to her mother for much-needed protection.

The latest newborn mammal is still to be named, a spokeswoman for the Safari told Reuters.

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Zookeepers opened the gates of the maternity ward, ‎fenced off from the rest of the wildlife compound in ‎central Israel, to allow the baby rhino to meet her ‎siblings.‎

Born on August 14, the female rhinoceros calf, which has ‎yet to be named, remained at her mother Tanda's side ‎as she was finally permitted to leave the ward and join the safari's crash ‎of 300 southern white rhinoceros.

Israel is home to the largest southern white rhinoceros crash ‎in the European Endangered Species ‎Program, the Zoological Center Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan noted.

This was the 30th rhino birth at the compound, a ‎‎250-acre site comprising both a drive-through ‎African safari area and a modern outdoor zoo. ‎

White rhinos are an endangered species as they are ‎still hunted for their horns. The illegal trade in ‎rhino horns is particularly rampant in Africa and ‎Asia. ‎

Over the past year, 1,028 white rhinos have been ‎hunted in Africa alone. ‎

The Ramat ‎Gan ‎safari ‎is one of 78 international zoological centers ‎that participate in the European Endangered Species ‎Program, a population management program for ‎threatened species in zoos.‎

The North American counterpart is the Species ‎Survival Plan, while Australian, Japanese and Indian ‎zoos also have similar programs.

Combined, there are ‎now hundreds of zoos worldwide involved in ‎regional breeding programs.‎

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