NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia Zoo is welcoming a new addition to its rhinoceros family. Meet the daughter of "Zina" and "Sibindi," a 100-pound female southern white rhino with rare genetics.
The calf was born on November 9 at 5:40 a.m., bringing the zoo's rhino population up to five.
The new calf will be named at a later date. She and her brother, "Mosi," have genetics that are considered rare because of their parents' origin, according to a news release from the zoo. Zina was born at the Singapore Zoo in 2013, and Sibindi was born in South Africa in 2006.
Her brother was born in 2021.
Zina and Sibindi were a recommended breeding pair by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) White Rhino Species Survival Plan (SSP). Matching the two helps to ensure genetic diversity and the continued growth of the species within accredited facilities.
According to the zoo, the birth of Mosi and his new sister marks the first time their genetics have been represented in an American zoo. Southern white rhinos are native to South Africa but have been introduced to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Eswatini.
The species was classified as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with their largest threat being horn poaching. The threat has already caused extinction and near-extinction in other rhino species, the release said.
Southern white rhinos' median life expectancy is about 36 years in the wild but can live 40 while in human care. The zoo said expecting rhinos' gestation period averages around 16 months.
The zoo said the new baby and mom will be viewable at the Virginia Zoo while they are in their night house from the mammal barn windows starting November 15. That's in the Africa Okavango-Delta area of the zoo.