Cincinnati Zoo’s newborn rhino named Kendi, ‘the loved one’

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Zoo is celebrating another newborn, an eastern black rhino named Kendi, months after welcoming its now-famous young hippo, Fiona.

Caretakers haven’t yet determined the gender of the rhino born Monday. They didn’t want to interrupt the calf’s bonding with its mother, Seiya, who had a 15-month pregnancy.

The zoo shared video of Kendi being born after a half-hour of labor and beginning to walk.

Kendi means “the loved one” in Swahili. The name was chosen after a staff vote.

The zoo says visitors likely will be able to see the calf and its mother in their outdoor habitat in a couple of weeks, depending on the weather and the animals’ health.

Kendi is the fifth eastern black rhino born in North America in the last two years.