A WHITE rhino from Colchester has left his latest new baby behind to travel to Woburn Safari Park for some Valentine's Day romance.

Otto the rhino has gone on a romantic getaway to visit Woburn's Southern white rhino female, Makusi - just days after Emily the white rhino gave birth to his new calf at Colchester Zoo.

Hefty Otto, who weighs in at 3.5 tonnes, was transported to the park in Bedfordshire by a special animal transport company, who used two industrial sized cranes to help move him in.

Keepers are pinning their hopes on Otto and Makusi hitting it off as part of the European Endangered species Programme (EEP).

The move comes as Woburn's existing male rhino, Kai, has so far been unable to impress the female rhino residents or produce any offspring.

Otto has a track record for being a ladies man and leaving behind him a string of rhino calves.

Keepers hope his arrival will nudge Kai out of the 'friend zone' with the female rhinos and grab some attention for himself.

Kai has been seen getting territorial since the arrival of his competing suitor, with lots of male swaggering and urine-spraying to mark his territory, as he deals with his jealousy issues.

However, Makusi and her close friends, Mtubatuba and Mirijam, have so far been quite aloof with the newcomer.

A spokesman for the park said: "Otto is going to have to try harder to impress Woburn’s feisty females, and time will tell whether he will fare better than Kai."

According to Woburn Safari Park, the Southern white rhino species is found across southern Africa and faces many threats in the wild, but in particular from poaching which has escalated in recent years and is being driven by demand for rhino horn in Asian countries.

Saved from the brink of extinction by intensive conservation efforts, this rhino species is now classified as 'Near Threatened' by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature).

Chris Smart, team leader in reserves at Woburn said: "We are delighted to welcome Otto, the Southern White rhino, to the herd living at Woburn.

"His arrival is really important for the conservation of these majestic animals and we're really excited to see him settle in alongside the females.

"We are all hoping that the girls are receptive to his advances and his time at the park results in successful breeding."