(CBS, KYMA/KECY) – Staff at Werribee Open Range Zoo near Melbourne were celebrating on October 17 after a baby rhino born in August had his “first adventures out on the savannah” after eight weeks behind closed doors, according to a press release from Zoos Victoria.
The southern white rhino, who the zoo says is “the first successfully mother-raised calf born in Victoria in more than 20 years,” was born in August and was named Jabulani, a Zulu word meaning rejoice, in September after thousands of people voted online.
This video from the zoo shows Jabulani “curiously exploring the 30-hectare [74-acre] African-inspired habitat among herds of giraffe, zebra, ostrich, and antelope,” Zoos Victoria said.
Before venturing out into the savannah, Jabulani had been building strength and bonding with his mother, Kipenzi, “to prepare him for this very moment,” said Werribee Open Range Zoo Life Sciences Manager Dominic Moss.
“We’re so incredibly excited to share this special milestone with our Zoos Victoria members and visitors,” Moss said.
According to Zoos Victoria, southern white rhinos “are classified as near threatened and it is estimated as few as 10,080 southern white rhinos remain in the wild.”
