Christmas Miracle at Zoo Atlanta: Birth of First Southern White Rhino on Christmas Eve

Zoo Atlanta has welcomed an adorable Christmas miracle: a baby rhino.

The southern white rhinoceros, the first of its kind to be born at the zoo, arrived on December 24, as announced by the park. Described as healthy and robust, the calf is receiving "appropriate maternal care" from its mother, according to park officials in a Monday news release.

This marks the second rhino birth at the zoo, the first being an eastern black rhino in 2013.

While specific details about the calf were not provided, the zoo mentioned that white rhino newborns can weigh between 100 to 150 pounds at birth, making them one of the "animal kingdom's largest terrestrial mammal babies."

The newborn's parents, 22-year-old mother Kiazi and 12-year-old father Mumbles, met at the zoo in early 2022. Park staff detected the pregnancy in spring 2023, and the calf and its mother will continue to bond before entering the rhino habitat, the zoo stated.

Raymond B. King, Zoo Atlanta’s president and CEO, expressed excitement about the birth, stating, "This birth has been long-awaited news for many months."

King emphasized the potential connection that zoo guests can create with the new calf and its mother, translating into "conservation action." He said, "All rhino species are currently in peril, and as stewards of this brand-new ambassador here in Atlanta, we also have a responsibility to do all we can to raise awareness of the status of wild rhinos."

Southern white rhinos are classified as "near threatened" by the international Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, with a decreasing population trend.

Zoo Atlanta highlighted the vulnerability of southern white rhinos to poaching due to their herd behavior in the wild. The organization stated, "Powdered rhino horn is believed by some cultures to possess medical properties, although rhino horns are made of keratin – the same substance found in human hair and fingernails – and have no known medicinal value."

The zoo also welcomed another female southern white rhinoceros in October, 17-year-old Dakari, according to the release.