VIRGINIA ZOO PRESS RELEASE – The Virginia Zoo is proud to announce the acquisition of two juvenile White rhinos, Bora and Zina. The female rhinos arrived at the Virginia Zoo this weekend from the Singapore Zoo and will take residence in the Africa Okavango Delta.“We are so excited to welcome these beautiful young rhinos whose gene pool is new to the United States,” said Greg Bockheim, Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo. “With less than 20,000 white rhinos left in the wild, Bora and Zina will contribute greatly to the future of their species,” Bockeim added.
The Species Survival Plan (SSP) has designated a male White rhino to be paired with the girls. He is scheduled to arrive later this year.
White Rhino in its new home ( Photo Virginia Zoo)
Both Bora and Zina were born at the Singapore Zoo in 2013. The name “Bora” means snow in Albanian, and “Zina” means secret spirit in an African language. The girls weigh between 2,200 and 2,700 pounds and stand five feet tall, but can grow up to almost six feet tall and weigh up to 3,700 pounds. In the 1960s there were more than 70,000 African rhinos in existence. Today, there are fewer than 20,000 White rhinos and some scientists predict all rhino species may become extinct within the next 20 years.
The Virginia Zoo’s Veterinarian Dr. Colleen Clabbers and the Singapore Zoo’s Zoo Keeper Hikmat Siliwangi bin Mansuri accompanied the rhinos on their 36-hour journey from Singapore.
“The team at the Singapore Zoo did a tremendous job with prepping Bora and Zina for travel and their journey proceeded without any issues,” said Dr. Clabbers. “Now that they are settled into their new home, we will be monitoring them closely to make sure they are eating well and adjusting to their new surroundings,” Clabbers added.
Visitors to the Virginia Zoo will not yet be able to see the rhinos on exhibit. They have a 30-day quarantine period in which they will be under observation by our Veterinarian, Vet Techs and Zoo Keepers to make sure they are healthy and happy. They will have access to their exhibit in the near future.
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