‘Amazing way to celebrate.’ New baby rhino at a Florida attraction had perfect timing
The baby white rhino flapped her ears and huffed for air, stomping her three-toed hoofs into the ground for stability. Lion Country Safari welcomed the wobbly newborn Aziza, meaning precious, to the South Florida attraction on World Rhino Day earlier this month.
“It‘s very special that she was born on World Rhino Day,” said Haley Passeser, a spokeswoman for the attraction, in Loxahatchee near West Palm Beach. “That’s an amazing way for us to celebrate.”
As the second offspring to her 8-year-old mother, Anna, and the 37th rhino calf born at the park since the late 1970s, Aziza is an essential member of the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan, a national collaboration that saves vulnerable animals from extinction.
Lion Country Safari made a $500 donation to the International Rhino Foundation in honor of the baby rhino’s Sept. 22 birth.
“Aziza and her mother and brothers are considered underrepresented in a population that is under human care,” Passeser said. “So, Aziza’s birth and passing on the genetics helps to add diversity to the population.”
The white rhino teetered on the edge of extinction during the 1970s because of poaching, leaving fewer than 1,000 on the planet. Multinational collaborative breeding and protection efforts have led to the survival of about 20,000 white rhinos, although populations continue to decline.
At Lion Country Safari, Passeser said some male rhinos were introduced to the park habitat to mix and mingle with the females. During Anna’s 16-month pregnancy, the veterinary team did regular ultrasound exams and blood tests. Aziza has nursed well and is expected to put on 3 to 4 pounds every day, Passeser said.
As visitors meander through the four-mile drive-thru safari, they can watch Aziza and her mother bond within the maternity area after the rhino section in Hwange National Park.
Passeser said she has visited them several times, and the young rhino is becoming more inquisitive as she stumbles over her own feet.
“She’s sticking with mom well but starting to get a little bit more confident on walking on her own and exploring her area.”
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 1:52 PM.