ASHEBORO, N.C. — The North Carolina Zoo is continuing to celebrate the birth of its third southern white rhino.
The female calf was born Jan. 9, 2020 to mother Kit and father Stormy.
On Tuesday, she was introduced to the public for the first time and enjoyed a break from the cold weather to learn “how to rhino!”
She was seen running around, splashing in puddles and getting some love from visitors.
At birth, she weighed about 100 pounds and is expected to gain 100 pounds a month in the first year, eventually reaching 3,500 to 5,500 pounds once she’s fully grown!
“This is a great moment and testament to the dedication of our zoo staff,” zoo director Pat Simmons said in a news release. “These successful births are because of a lot of hard work and collaboration among our entire animal care staff.”
The female calf is the third southern white rhino born at the zoo in Asheboro in just under two years.
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The zoo’s 40-acre Watani Grasslands expansion was completed in 2008 and created for a breeding rhino herd.
There are now nine rhinos in the herd: male Stormy; females Linda, Kit, Natalie, Abby, and Olivia; and calves Nandi, Bonnie and the new addition, who hasn’t been named yet.
Zoo officials said southern white rhinos were hunted for their horns to near extinction by the beginning of the 20th century. They said the species still faces threats from poaching and habitat loss in the wild.
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