ATLANTA – Zoo Atlanta is celebrating the arrival of a precious Christmas gift: a baby rhinoceros!
This adorable southern white rhino was born on December 24th, marking the first of its species to be born at the zoo. The calf is in good health and is being well taken care of by its mother, according to park officials.
This special arrival is only the second rhino to be born at the zoo, with the first being an eastern black rhino in 2013, as stated in a news release.
Although the zoo did not provide specific details about the calf, it did mention that newborn white rhinos can weigh between 100 to 150 pounds at birth, making them one of the “animal kingdom’s largest terrestrial mammal babies.”
The calf’s parents, 22-year-old mother Kiazi and 12-year-old father Mumbles, were introduced at the zoo in early 2022, and the pregnancy was confirmed by park staff in spring 2023. The calf and its mother will continue to bond before joining the rhino habitat, the zoo reported.
“The Zoo Atlanta family is thrilled about the birth of Kiazi’s calf. This news has been eagerly anticipated for many months,” said Raymond B. King, Zoo Atlanta’s president and CEO.
King also emphasized the potential for zoo guests to connect with the new calf and its mother, which could lead to “conservation action.”
“All rhino species are currently in peril, and as stewards of this brand-new ambassador here in Atlanta, we also have a responsibility to do all we can to raise awareness of the status of wild rhinos,” King added.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources classifies southern white rhinos as “near threatened,” with a decreasing population trend. The zoo highlighted the serious issue of poaching for rhino horns, which has led to the extinction and near-extinction of some species.
“Powdered rhino horn is believed by some cultures to possess medical properties, although rhino horns are made of keratin — the same substance found in human hair and fingernails — and have no known medicinal value,” the zoo explained.
In addition to the new calf, the zoo also welcomed another female southern white rhinoceros in October, 17-year-old Dakari, as mentioned in the release.
Disagree: Rhinos should be in their natural habitats, not in zoos.