THE new home for Folly Farm’s next arrivals – two critically endangered eastern black rhinos – is taking shape new aerial pictures show.

The popular tourist attraction has released behind-the-scenes pictures of the Kifaru Reserve with its new residents, male Nkosi and female Manyara, due to arrive in September.

The rhinos will live in a five and a half acre, purpose built paddock, named after the Swahili word for rhino, featuring a bespoke house including four indoor facilities, with enough space for a rhino calf.

The new rhino house also has built-in weighing scales, to make it easier to monitor the animal’s health and wellbeing, and straw beds for them to sleep on.

Another rhino, Mala, was originally planned to come to Folly Farm, but currently being treated for a skin complaint so to avoid causing any undue stress, she will be joining the two other rhinos when she has made a full recovery.

There are thought to be fewer than 650 eastern black rhinos left in the wild and just 66 in zoos across Europe. Folly Farm will be only the fifth zoo in the UK to hold this critically endangered species.

Jack Graddidge, rhino keeper at Folly Farm said: “We’re all really excited for the black rhinos to join our Folly farm family. I feel so lucky to be a part of this project from the beginning and being able to watch the construction of the enclosure on a daily basis.”