Rhino Calf Born At Busch Gardens; Now He Needs A Name

TAMPA, FL — Granted, with his gray, wrinkled skin and the hint of a horn growing out of his face, he's not everybody's idea of adorable.

Nevertheless, southern white rhino mom, Kisiri, and the animal care staff at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay are pretty enamored with her newborn male calf.

Busch Gardens announced the birth of the 150-pound bundle of joy on Thursday. He's Kisiri's second calf. The 25-year-old rhino gave birth to Winnifred in 2017.

But the little guy needs a name. Busch Gardens is asking rhino fans to help give him one by casting their vote for one of three choices.

• Viazi, which means "potato" in Swahili.
• Vumbi, which means "dust" in Swahili.
• Bahati, which means "luck" or "fortune" in Swahili.

While the little guy may kick up some dust as he roams Busch Gardens' 65-acre Serengeti Plain with his crash (herd of rhinos), he hardly resembles a spud.

Patch's vote goes to Bahati. After all, the world is lucky to have an addition to what's currently a near-threatened species.

Kisiri and her calf are the descendants of what once was a plentiful animal species that roamed the plains of South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya until they were poached for their horns to near extinction.

In fact, according to the World Wildlife Fund, the southern white rhinoceros was thought to be extinct in the late 19th century until a small population of less than 100 southern white rhinos was discovered in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, in 1895.

After more than a century of protection and management, they are now classified as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Around 18,000 members of the species exist in protected areas and private game reserves.

Both Busch Gardens and nearby ZooTampa are members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan which is attempting to increase the southern white rhino population.

While this newborn may be relatively small now, he won't be for long. Southern white rhinos grow quickly. In just a few months, he's expected to weigh 200 pounds. Full-grown male rhinos can grow to more than 6 feet at the shoulder and weigh as much as 5,000 pounds.