A critically endangered rhino is expecting its second baby. Dakima, an East African black rhinoceros, lives at the Kifaru Reserve enclosure at Folly Farm, in Pembrokeshire, and has recently been part of a managed breeding programme.

Dakima and her mate Nkosi have had some carefully planned "date nights" and the signs now show that she's expecting baby number two. As reported by Swansea Bay News, her hormone levels have increased along with a steady weight gain over recent weeks.

It is predicted that Dakima is already several months into her 15-16 month pregnancy. This means that she should give birth at some point in November.

It will be her second, after she gave birth to Glyndwr in January 2020. He's since moved away to Flamingo Land in order to continue the breeding programme for the critically endangered species.

When the black rhinos first arrived in Pembrokeshire in 2015, there were less than 650 of them left in the wild. However, this number has since doubled with around 1400 wild rhinos and approximately 85 eastern black rhinos residing in zoos across Europe. 

Alan Keeling, Folly Farm’s Zoo Manager said: "It’s still early days at the moment – but we’re remaining hopeful that we’ll be celebrating another breeding success for this critically endangered species! It’s the ultimate goal working as a zookeeper – to raise awareness of the plights of these amazing animals and play a part in increasing numbers of endangered species in captivity and, eventually, in the wild!”

Dakima's first calf, Glyndwr, was named after after Folly Farm’s Founding Director, Glyn Williams. The Folly Farm team are hopeful that she’ll once again do a great job this time around.

Alan added: "She seems to be taking everything in her stride so far – and keepers will ensure she’s monitored closely as per usual and given extra comfy bedding to keep her comfortable throughout the remaining months of her pregnancy."