The birth of a critically endangered rhino in the United Kingdom will be "celebrated globally" since there are fewer than 1000 left around the world, according to its keepers.
The female eastern black rhino's birth was caught on Chester Zoo's CCTV cameras and shows the baby calf on her feet and suckling from her mum just 10 minutes later.
Chester Zoo rhino team manager Andrew McKenzie said the birth of an endangered rhino is "always very special".
"To be able to watch on camera as a calf is born is an incredible privilege - with rhino numbers so, so low it, sadly, isn't something that's captured very often," he said in a statement on Chester Zoo's website.
"Seeing the little one then get to her feet with a gentle nudge from mum, take her first tentative steps and suckle for the first time is then the icing on the cake. It really is heart-warming stuff."
The zoo said the illegal wildlife trade is driving the species towards extinction, especially the surge in demand for rhino horn stemming from the Asian medicine market.
The eastern black rhino is listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as critically endangered. In the wild, they're only found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
"These rhinos have been pushed to the very edge of existence and every single addition to the European endangered species breeding programme is celebrated globally," McKenzie said.
"It's sadly no exaggeration to say that it's entirely possible that we could lose them forever within our lifetime and the world's most progressive zoos are very much part of the fight to prevent their extinction."
Chester Zoo said it's developed a technique to track black rhino's oestrus cycles through hormone analysis of their faeces which helps keepers decide when it's the best time to introduce females to a mate. This can then help keepers confirm and track a pregnancy.
This method is now being used in Kenya where rangers and vets are using the technique to monitor wild rhino populations.
McKenzie said in the short term, the baby calf and her mother will help highlight the "perilous position" the species is in.
"We hope they encourage more people to join the fight to prevent the extinction of these gentle giants."
The zoo is holding a poll on its Facebook page so the public can name the new rhino.
