A rare Southern white rhinoceros calf born less than a week ago at Victoria's Werribee Open Range Zoo has died from internal injuries suffered in the hours after its birth.
In a statement, the zoo said the five-day-old female calf suffered a neurological episode followed by a cardiac arrest just before midnight on Saturday.
Veterinary staff were unable to resuscitate the newborn.
The female calf was the first southern white rhino to be born at the zoo in 10 years as part of the Australasian rhino regional breeding and conservation program.
While the birth itself went smoothly, zookeepers noticed the newborn wasn't thriving as expected and was struggling to bond with her mother Kipenzi.
The calf was then brought into the zoo's vet clinic, where she had been receiving around-the-clock care and was slowly being reintroduced to her mother.
Zoo director Mark Pilgrim said zoo staff were devastated, but he praised the team for doing an excellent job working tirelessly caring for the calf.
"The death of any animal is challenging for all involved, but we can find comfort in the knowledge that every action was taken to ensure the calf was receiving the best care possible," Dr Pilgrim said.
A necropsy completed by the University of Melbourne veterinarian school found the calf had a broken scapula, likely caused by interactions with her mother in the hours after the birth.
It is believed blood clots around the fracture site caused the neurological episode and cardiac arrest, with the results from further tests expected within a fortnight.
