Meet Bonnie! N.C. Zoo names second baby rhino
The North Carolina Zoo had a baby rhino boom back in July when two rhino calves were born. And on Tuesday, the zoo announced the name for the second baby. It's Bonnie.
Bonnie was born July 13 to mom Kit and dad Stormy. She was born 11 days after the birth of the zoo's first baby rhino in more than 40 years. Nandi, whose name was selected based, in part, on a public poll, was born July 2 to dad Stormy and mom Linda. Both rhino babies are on view in the zoo's Watani Grasslands 40-acre habitat.
Zookeepers who care for the rhino herd daily recommended the name “Bonnie” in honor of longtime zoo donors and supporters who they hold in high esteem, according to a press release. The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, were privately informed of the naming and expressed their deep gratitude for the honor, the release said.
The Zoo’s herd now boasts seven rhinos on public view, including Stormy, females Linda, Kit, Natalie and Abby, and calves Nandi and Bonnie. Two older rhinos, Stan and Olivia, live in an off-viewing retirement habitat.
About 20,000 southern white rhinos are left in the wild, mostly in the southern Africa region, the zoo release said. Today, populations in the wild still face significant threats from poaching and habitat loss. In addition to their work with the rhinos at the zoo, staff work on projects in several countries in Southern Africa to protect wild rhinos from poaching and save the species from extinction.
The zoo in Asheboro is about 90 minutes from the Triangle.
