A rare eastern black rhino has given birth to a healthy calf at Chester Zoo, delighting visitors who were there to say hello to the new arrival.
Females from the endangered species, which is native to East Africa, typically give birth at night or in the early hours.
But 12-year-old Malindi stunned onlookers as she went into labour at about 12.30pm on a busy day at the zoo.
In less than half an hour, a healthy male calf was born.
Chester Zoo's curator of mammals Tim Rowlands said: "Visitors to the zoo were treated to something incredibly special when eastern black rhino Malindi went into labour in front of them.
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"With just 650 eastern black rhino left in the wild, seeing the birth of a new calf and its very first steps is a very rare and special event indeed.
"The newborn was delivered on to soft wood mulch and within next to no time it was up on its feet and running around – it couldn't have gone any smoother."
Mr Rowlands said he hoped the birth would inspire urgent action to protect the future of the species, with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature listing the animal as critically endangered.
Increasing demand for rhino horn in the traditional Asian medicine market is thought to have driven poachers and the illegal wildlife trade.
The zoo's collections director Mike Jordan said: "This new arrival is a real boost to a critically endangered species.
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"It increases the number of eastern black rhino at Chester to 11 and is another vitally important success story in a Europe-wide breeding programme for these highly threatened animals.
"A thriving, healthy population of this high profile species in good zoos is vitally important to the future of this species and a key component of our mission to prevent their extinction."
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