Baby rhino debuts at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo

He's only just been born, but he already holds the hopes of an entire species on his tiny shoulders.

The yet to be named greater one-horned rhino calf is the first born in Australia, after being delivered at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, in Dubbo.

His mum Amala is understandably very protective of her newborn son, following him wherever he goes.

With numbers dwindling in the wild, the rhino is already a poster boy for conservation programs here and around the world.