Zoo Atlanta welcomes female white rhinoceros to Savanna habitat
Kiazi, whose name means "sweet potato," joined Mumbles, the 10-year-old male southern white rhino in the Zoo’s new African Savanna complex. ((photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance))
ATLANTA - A new resident moved into Zoo Atlanta — a transplant from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Kiazi, a 19-year-old female southern white rhinoceros, arrived at Zoo Atlanta on Monday.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums' WhiteRhio Species Survival Plan recommended her move, according to a Zoo Atlanta spokesperson. The organization recommended Kiazi, whose name means "sweet potato," join Mumbles in the Zoo's African Savanna complex where she will have the opportunity to settle indoors before exploring her outdoor habitat. This means it may take some time before she's visible to guests.
The white rhinoceros is the largest of the five rhino species, and they face poaching for their horns.
"We are so excited to welcome Kiazi to Zoo Atlanta," said Jennifer Mickelberg, PhD, Vice President of Collections and Conservation. "Rhinos are animals with an urgent conservation message. We want our Members and guests to get to know Kiazi — and, if they have not already been permanently charmed by him, Mumbles — so that they can understand the things they can do in their daily lives to preserve these extraordinary animals in the wild."
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