Six Southern White Rhinos Arrive from South Africa as Part of Rhino Conservation Initiative at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Thursday evening, Nov. 5, 2015, six female southern white rhinos on a chartered MD11 flight from South Africa landed at the San Diego International Airport. The rhinos came from private reserves in South Africa, where a rhino is poached every 8 hours. Rhinos are poached for their horns; their horn is made of keratin, which is the same substance as hair and fingernails. At this rate of poaching, rhinos could become extinct in 15 years.
The rhinos were transported in individual crates specially designed for the transport and upon arrival, were loaded onto two flat bed trucks and driven to the Safari Park’s new Rhino Rescue Center, built specifically for these six females. Once at the Park, a team of veterinarians and keepers unloaded the rhinos into fenced yards, where they will remain under a mandatory quarantine for at least 30 days.
San Diego Zoo Global has one of the most successful rhino breeding programs in the world. To date, a total of 94 southern white rhinos, 68 greater one-horned rhinos and 14 black rhinos have been born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. For more information on San Diego Zoo Global’s rhino conservation efforts visit sandiegozoo.org/rhinorescue.
