Tuesday was World Rhino Day and the Lincoln Park Zoo (LP Zoo) celebrated in a big way—by announcing its resident eastern black rhino “Kapuki” is pregnant with her third calf.
Calf coming spring ’26
The pregnancy marks the third baby for 20-year-old Kapuki, who previously gave birth to calves King in 2013 and Romeo in 2019.
The calf’s father is a 22-year-old rhino named Utenzi who reportedly arrived at the LP Zoo in 2022.
Kapuki will likely give birth in early spring 2026 at the zoo’s Regenstein African Journey facility.
A conservation milestone
The pregnancy marks a major preservation milestone for the highly endangered eastern black rhino.
The LP Zoo estimates that global eastern black rhino populations dropped to as few as 2,000 in the mid-’90s as a result of poaching and habitat destruction.
Additionally, female eastern black rhinos are capable of producing only one calf every few years, making repopulation difficult.
Due to ongoing conservation efforts, however, the global population has rebounded to over 5,000 rhinos worldwide within the past several decades.
“Every birth matters to this critically endangered species, and we’re proud to play a role in growing the eastern black rhinoceros population,” Curator Cassy Kutilek said.
Stay up to date on the baby’s progress by visiting the LP Zoo site. Animal lovers can also help protect rhinos through the zoo’s symbolic adoption program.
