CHESTER Zoo’s new baby rhino has been named Lumi.

The zoo announced the news on social media after a poll on X (formerly Twitter) which saw thousands of entries.

Lumi, which means ‘bringer of life’, was the winner ahead of other options, Lulu and Lilo.

Two weeks ago staff at the zoo shared their joy following the birth of Lumi, one of the world’s rarest mammals, a critically endangered eastern black rhino.

The female calf was safely delivered onto a bed of soft sand by new mum Zuri on Sunday, November 12 at 2.45pm, following a 15-month pregnancy.

Rhino experts said it is “quite unusual” for a calf to be born in daylight, which gave keepers the unique opportunity to capture the special moment on camera.

The eastern black rhino is listed as critically endangered by the world’s authority on the state of nature, The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning it faces a very high chance of becoming extinct in the wild. Fewer than 600 are now found across Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Conservationists say the birth of a healthy calf will help global efforts to prevent the species from disappearing altogether.

In June 2019 Chester Zoo spearheaded a project that saw a group of Eastern black rhinos, bred as part of the safety-net population in European zoos, translocated from Europe to Akagera national Park in Rwanda, Africa.

Just after Lumi’s birth, Rhino Team Manager Emma Evison, who had been closely monitoring mum and calf, said: “We’d been eagerly awaiting this birth for 15 long months and, as it’s quite unusual for a rhino to give birth in daylight hours, we really didn’t expect it to happen right in front of us as we were going about our day.

"To be able to witness the calf safely entering the world, in front of our very own eyes, was just the most incredible privilege.

“What’s most important now during these first few days is that mum Zuri and her new baby spend some time bonding and getting to know one another.

"So far, the pair have been inseparable and the little one is feeding regularly and already gaining in size and weight. She’s very inquisitive and full of energy, which is just brilliant to see.”