A BABY rhino born in the middle of the foot-and-mouth crisis will enjoy his first outing in front of the public this weekend.

Hope, the two-month-old white rhino is one of a number of baby animals to go on show at the West Midland Safari Park over the May Bank Holiday.

"Hope was born in the smoke of the pyres and was also the first rhino to be born at the park in about 30 years, so we called him Hope," said head warden Bob Lawrence, adding that white rhinos were extremely rare.

"At one point, we were more at risk than any other zoo in the country, so we've done very well."

A month-old baby camel will be among other youngsters on show at the Bewdley attraction.

The yet-to-be-named baby is the first camel born at the park for five years and is one of only four rare Asian Bactrian camels on view.

The park is fully open and "everything's on show", including sea lions, hippos, elephants and giraffes, although visitors are still being taken around the enclosures in disinfected buses.