Lion Country Safari welcomed a female Southern White Rhinoceros calf to its herd on Jan. 30.
Both the calf and mom are now located in the rhino maternity area, where they can spend some quality time bonding together. The maternity area is visible to guests in their cars from the road in the Hwange National Park section of the drive-through safari.
The baby, named Elna (meaning “beloved” in Afrikaans), is the fourth offspring born to her mother, Bloom. Rhino gestation is approximately 16 months long, after which females give birth to a single calf weighing between 88 and 132 pounds.
Of the five species of rhinos (White, Black, Indian, Sumatran and Javan), the white rhino is the most abundant with approximately 20,000 alive today, but all five species are in peril due mostly to poaching.
Lion Country Safari is home to 13 White Rhinos — 10 females and 3 males.
Since 1979, Lion Country Safari has had 36 rhino offspring and is proud to participate in the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan.
