Guests can help name the calf and support efforts to protect the critically endangered species
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo today announced the birth of a female Eastern black rhino calf on July 9, 2022. Both mom, Kibibbi, and her calf are doing well and are bonding behind-the-scenes for the next few weeks.
The birth is an important one for the species as Eastern black rhinos are critically endangered with less than 750 remaining in the wild due to poaching that supplies the illegal international rhino horn trade and habitat loss. Guests are invited to help name the calf and support conservation efforts to protect the species.
To participate in the naming opportunity, guests can cast their vote with a donation at the Zoo’s Daniel Maltz Rhino Reserve or online at
FutureForWildlife.org/RhinoNaming for one of the following names:
- Ali – meaning supreme
- Anika – meaning sweet
- Dalia – meaning gentle
Each of the names are connected to the Eastern black rhino's native regions in Africa. The calf's name will be selected based on the name that receives the highest total donation. The public can cast their votes through midnight on Friday, August 5.
Funds raised through the naming opportunity will support rhino conservation efforts through the Zoo's longtime conservation partner the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). AWF protects rhinos by recruiting, training, and equipping wildlife scouts and anti-poaching patrols, training and deploying special detection dog teams, and providing additional training to law enforcement officers to help stop wildlife crime.
This is Kibibbi’s third calf and her second calf with dad, Forrest. The rhino birth is the first at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo since the opening of the Daniel Maltz Rhino Reserve in 2020 that significantly expanded and enhanced the Zoo’s rhino habitat and allowed the zoo to continue its successful breeding program.
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