Wednesday marks World Rhino Day and the San Diego Zoo wants help naming a calf born at the Safari Park.
A female southern white rhino calf was born Aug. 22 to first-time mom Kianga and father J Gregory. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is inviting the public to help name this curious and playful calf.
Submit your suggestion by visiting the Safari Park Facebook page Sept. 22 through 28 and commenting on their choice of three names:
- Kamaria (Cam-mar-e-uh), which means beautiful like the moonlight in Swahili
- Kifaru (Key-far-roo), meaning rhino in Swahili
- Ilanga (E-long-a), meaning sun in Xhosa.
The name with the most “votes” will be announced on Sept. 29, zoo officials said.
The Safari Park is home to greater one-horned rhinos, black rhinos, and southern white rhinos. The rhinos are very important to the ecosystems in which they reside.
Southern white and black rhinos are mega-herbivores and help maintain the diverse African grasslands, increasing plant diversity and providing grazing areas for other animals that share their natural habitat, such as elephants, zebras, antelope and gazelles.