Baby Rhino Joins Herd At Tampa Busch Gardens
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
TAMPA (CBSMiami/AP) -- A month-old southern white rhinoceros and her mother have been successfully introduced to the rest of the herd, according to employees at Busch Gardens Tampa.
Assistant curator Jason Green says baby Nyota is exploring her new environment and developing as expected. Nyota was born at the park in October and named following a two-week-long Facebook poll.
Nyota's mother, Kasiri, has had two successful births previously. Workers say the calf's father, Tambo, has also been gentle with his previous offspring.
Newborn white rhinoceros usually weigh about 150 pounds and can gain four pounds every day for the first year. White rhinos are the second largest land mammal after the elephant and can weigh up to 5,000 pounds.
Experts say the southern white rhinoceros is classified as a near-threatened species with just over 20,000 left in the wild.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
