LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — Lion County Safari celebrated World Rhino Day by welcoming a rare Southern White Rhinoceros calf to its herd.
The baby, named Aziza (meaning precious), is the second offspring born to 8-year-old mom Anna. She is the 37th rhino calf born at the park since 1979.
Both the calf and mom are spending quality time bonding in a maternity area, which is visible to guests from their cars in the drive-through safari.
During the 1970s, this species was teetering on the edge of extinction with less than 1,000 individuals left on the planet. Today, thanks to multi-national collaborative breeding and protection efforts, there are an estimated 20,000 white rhinos.
Lion Country Safari is home to 14 White Rhinos -- 11 females and three males -- and is a proud participant of the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan, a program of the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums.