The North Carolina Zoo's baby rhino has a name - inspired by her big feet!
Zach Neal, a zoo employee, picked the name from a list created by its rhino keepers, according to a press release. The zoo invited employees to enter a free drawing to choose the name, and Neal was the lucky winner.
Posted — UpdatedZach Neal, a zoo employee, picked the name from a list created by its rhino keepers, according to a press release. The zoo invited employees to enter a drawing to choose the name, and Neal was the lucky winner.
The zoo’s herd now boasts a total of nine rhinos, with typically seven roaming the 40-acre Watani Grasslands habitat, according to the zoo. Mguu and Kit will be joining the herd on the Watani Grasslands as the temperatures warm up this spring.
At the beginning of the 20th century, southern white rhinos were hunted to near extinction for their horns, which some erroneously believe provide medicinal benefits, the zoo says. Rhino horn is constructed from keratin, which is the same material that makes up human fingernails and hair. There are currently around 20,000 southern white rhinos left in the wild, mostly in the southern Africa region.
Today, populations in the wild still face significant threats from poaching and habitat loss. In addition to their work with the rhinos at the North Carolina Zoo, staff work on projects in several countries in Southern Africa to protect wild rhinos from poaching and save the species from extinction, according to the press release.
The zoo is in Asheboro about 90 minutes from Raleigh.
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