White Rhino Born in ZooTampa, Species Still Considered Nearly Extinct; Will It Recover Soon?

On Sunday, June 6, ZooTampa welcomed its new member as a baby southern white rhino was born. Zoo officials said that both the female calf and her mother, the 20-year-old Alake, are doing just fine now.

"The baby rhino appears to be strong and is nursing alongside her mother. This birth marks the eighth southern white rhino calf born at ZooTampa," says ZooTampa, according to MSN.

Ambassador of Southern White Rhino Species

Through the program called the Species Survival Plans (SPP), which is run by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Alake was paired with the male rhino named Ongava.

The SSP program was created to make sure that the survival of protected species continues.

Chief zoological officer Dr. Larry Killmar said that newly born southern white rhinos are the ambassadors of their species and that it shows the important role ZooTampa played in conserving their species.

"These babies and the rest of our southern white rhino herd are wonderful ambassadors for their species, giving our guests the opportunity to connect with and appreciate these magnificent animals," said Killmar said, ABC Action News reported.

"The zoo's efforts to save this species is yet another example of the leadership role that ZooTampa plays in conserving important species both at home and around the world," he added.

The female calf was not yet named but is expected to join the crash, the term for a group of rhinos, in the next few weeks. Guests aboard the new Expedition Wild Africa will be able to see the new female calf when it opens soon.

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Southern White Rhino Population

According to National Geographic, southern white rhinos were thought to be extinct in the late 19th century until 1895, when a few rhinos were found in South Africa.

However, their cousins, the northern white rhinos, are now extinct. Sudan, the last white rhino, died in 2018, leaving the mother-daughter pair at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.

ZooTampa said that the population of southern white rhinos dwindled so much that only about 50 to 200 individuals were left at the beginning of the 20th century, MSN reported. But through conservation efforts, their population grew and now number 20,400 in Africa. But it is still considered a threatened animal by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Poaching of rhino horns is one of the major threats for this species, which is sold to black markets in Asia for use in traditional Oriental medicine and artistic carvings. Rhino horns are also a sign of wealth and social status.

Human development and habitat loss are also threats to the southern white rhino species.