Today in Smithsonian History: January 30, 1974

Indian rhinoceros “Patrick” and his mother at the National Zoo, 1974. Image via Smithsonian Institution Archives.

January 30, 1974   The first Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) born alive in the United States is born to parents Rajkumari and Tarun at the National Zoo. Also known as the Greater One-Horned Asian Rhinoceros, the species  is classified as endangered. About 3,000 live in the wild in the grasslands and foothills of the Himalayas of India and Nepal.

For reasons that are inscrutable to us, the infant Indian rhinoceros is named Patrick, .

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