Lion Country Safari and Rhino Conservation

David and new writer, Mel, discuss the 38th rhinoceros born at Lion Country Safari since its founding and the second of 2021. 

The safari park has grown its white rhino population to 15, including Josh, born in November, and his 22-year-old mother, Bloom. Josh is particularly special because Bloom’s family line is underrepresented. 

White rhinoceroses are the most abundant of the remaining rhinos, although their numbers are still small. Since the 1970s, the white rhino population has risen from fewer than 1,000 to approximately 20,000, largely because of conservation efforts in captivity and the wild. 

Open since 1967, Lion Country Safari is a participant in the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan, part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The SSP keeps the white rhino population steady.