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Lion Country Safari welcomes adorable southern white rhinoceros

Alissa was born Aug.19
A female southern white rhinoceros named Alissa was born at Lion Country Safari on Aug. 19, 2023.
Posted at 4:29 PM, Aug 31, 2023
and last updated 2023-08-31 17:44:22-04

Lion County Safari is celebrating the birth of a new baby rhino!

Baby Alissa, a southern white rhino, was born on Aug. 19. She is the 40th rhino calf to be born at the park since 1979.

The baby rhino was named after a white rhino named Lissa, who recently passed away at the park. Officials at the park said Lissa was a staff favorite.

A female southern white rhinoceros named Alissa was born at Lion Country Safari on Aug. 19, 2023.
A female southern white rhinoceros named Alissa was born at Lion Country Safari on Aug. 19, 2023.

The baby calf and mom Anna are bonding together in the maternity area, which can be seen by park guests from their cars in their drive-through safari. Alissa is Anna's third calf.

Park officials said baby rhinos weigh between 88 and 132 pounds at birth and gain a whopping 3-4 pounds a day from mother's milk. The calves gain about 1,000 pounds a year for their first three years.

Alissa's birth is important to the conservation efforts of rhinos, which neared extinction in the 1970s. Lion Country Safari is home to 14 white rhinos, and they are part of the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan.