THE curator at Cotswold Wildlife Park has spoken about the experience of hand-rearing a white rhino.

Staff at the Burford park took the unprecedented step of hand-rearing Belle – named after the character from Beauty and the Beast – after she was born with a weak leg.

The animal, the fifth white rhino to be born at the park, was featured in a recent Witney Gazette story focussing on her impressive milk-drinking abilities.

Park curator Jamie Craig explained the moment they knew something was wrong with Belle.

He said: “We arrived at the rhino house and it was immediately apparent that there was a major issue.

“Although lively and attempting to suckle from [mum] Nancy, the front right foot was twisted over.

"After observing the calf for some time, it became clear that she was now walking on the joint and that it would not correct itself.”

Keepers made the difficult decision to hand-rear Belle, separating her from her mother and fitting her with a cast.

Mr Craig spoke of the significant moment the cast was finally removed.

He said: “The day of the cast removal was nerve-racking as there was no guarantee of success.

“So we waited with bated breath whilst the cast was gently cut away and she stood on her unprotected leg for the first time.

“There were a couple of wobbles, as the injured leg was clearly weaker than the others, but the leg stayed straight.”

After the leg was recovered, it was time to reintroduce Belle to her mother.

Mr Craig continued: “Nancy allows Belle to come to her keepers for her feeds and appears to be tolerating her belated new addition well. It is unclear if Nancy realises this is her calf, but rhinos can be amazingly gentle with calves and we hope the pair form a strong bond.”