WEST Midland Safari Park are celebrating a special new arrival with the birth of their third southern white rhino in three years.

The male rhino calf, who has yet to be named, was born during the early hours of Tuesday 25 September, following his mother Ailsa's 16-month pregnancy.

The calf's eight-year-old mother kept a close eye on her newborn as he was given a health check by keepers, and after 48 hours, weighed in at 67 kilograms (10 and a half stone).

The birth marks another success in the Park’s white rhino breeding programme, following the birth of three-year-old male Ekozu, and Fahari, who celebrated her first birthday last month.

Head of Wildlife, Angela Potter, said: “We are so delighted to welcome our new calf, who popped into the world at 2.17am during the early hours of Tuesday morning.

"He is a strong boy and was up and walking within 20 minutes of birth.

"Ailsa is a very loving and protective mother and we are extremely proud of her.

“Each new rhino birth is a success story for the European Endangered Species Programme and for the species as a whole.

"Although he just missed World Rhino Day, we hope his birth will raise some much needed attention to the plight of all the rhino species in the wild.”

The little one will be joining his brother Ekozu and half-sister Fahari on the Safari Drive-through within the next few weeks.

The park now has a total of eight southern white rhinos, including the baby boy's dad, thirteen-year-old Barney, who was born at the Park in 2005.

Keepers at the Park will choose a name for the newborn beginning with a 'G,' as all babies born at the Park in 2018 will begin with this letter.

Wild white rhino are currently facing a threat of poaching and habitat loss.

Just over 20,000 wild southern white rhinos remained in South Africa after the last count, with 1,028 killed in 2017.