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There are three types of
rhinos in Africa- the Southern White, the Northern White, and the Eastern
Black. All of these species are currently endangered. Ziwa Rhino
Sanctuary is currently home to six adult Southern White Rhinos (Ceratotherium
simum simum) and two baby boys. Babies New Arrivals Rhino Family
The rhinos at our sanctuary are the only wild rhinos in Uganda today!
Our first rhino residents arrived at the sanctuary on July 20, 2005 from Solio Ranch in Kenya. They are: Taleo, Moja, Bella, and Kori. After a short adjustment period in the boma, they started roaming the sanctuary.
Ä Taleo is our dominant male. Taleo spends some time with the rest of the rhinos, but he also spends a lot of time roaming the sanctuary on his own and marking his territory.
Ä Moja is our second in command male and is dominant when Taleo is not with the other rhinos. Sometimes Moja and Taleo fight for dominance, but Taleo remains the dominant rhino at the sanctuary.
Ä Bella was the first female to become pregnant. Unfortunately, she had a still born calf on March 13, 2008. Fortunately, she became pregnant again quickly and gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Augustu on October 7, 2009! See below for photos.
Ä Kori is our third female rhino. She delivered a baby boy on January 2, 2010. Kori has found her place with the other mothers and is doing great!
Ä Hassani is our juvenile male and spends his time grazing with the females.
Ä Nandi gave birth to a baby boy on June 24, 2009. This is the first rhino born in Uganda in a generation. Congrats to Nandi! (see below for more about baby).
Our rhinos roam freely in an area of 70 square km (about twice the size of Mgahinga National Park) consisting of dry combretum savannah, laced with swamps and the cactus-like euphorbia candelabrum trees.
We are very excited about our rhino babies! They are the first generation of rhinos born in Uganda in over 25 years. We have also been working on bringing more rhinos to our sanctuary and are expecting six new arrivals from South Africa in 2010.
Six rhinos from South Africa will come to Ziwa Sanctuary in 2010. In February, they will begin their preparation for the move by spending approximately six weeks in a boma (livestock enclosure). They are expected to arrive in Uganda in April or May. These rhinos have been promised by Sanparks South Africa. More information will be posted once they land and we will share stories of them as they settle into life in Uganda at our sanctuary. We are prepared and excited for them to join our rhino family! STAY TUNED!
We have three baby boy rhinos!
The FIRST BABY rhino in a generation is born in Uganda!
Nandi gave birth on June 24, 2009 to a healthy baby boy. Mom and calf are doing well and everyone at the sanctuary is very happy, including all the other rhinos!
The baby boy has been named Obama after US President Barack Obama. Like his namesake, he has a Kenyan father, an American mother, and is a symbol of hope for the future. Baby Obama is being well protected by his mom. The pictures below were taken by very patient staff members who sat in nearby trees for an opportunity to get a clear shot of the baby.
The calf already has a personality and humor all his own. His mouth is constantly open making funny sounds trying to figure out all the sounds he can make.
He tastes the grass (just like mom does) but is not very impressed with that taste at all!
He runs and jumps around all the time that he is not sleeping or feeding. He seems to be always busy playing his own imaginary games and just seems soooo happy to be around. Then, like all babies, he gets tired and takes a nap.
Currently, mom and baby are staying separate from the other rhinos. She left the group about 24 hours before she gave birth. The other rhinos went to check on her. First Hasani found her and she was happy with him being around, but when he went close to the calf she let him have it! Then Taleo came to visit and made the same mistake. It is expected that she will stay away for a few months and then join the group when she feels comfortable that the calf will be safe.
November 2009- Baby Obama Update Obama is doing well and enjoying life at the sanctuary. He continues to bounce around and check out the area. His current favorite game is chase- he runs away from the rangers and watches as they chase him 2-3km at a time.
We are happy to announce the birth of our SECOND BABY!!
Bella, our 10 year old female from Solio Ranch in Kenya (who had a stillborn calf in March 2008), gave birth to a healthy baby boy on October 7, 2009 around 11:00am. Mom and baby are doing great. Bella has been a gracious mom and has allowed close access by humans and rhinos to meet her boy, Augustu.
As a thank you for being our biggest sponsor in 2009, Ausburg Zoo of Germany was given the honor of the naming the calf . Thank you Ausburg Zoo!
Augustu stands tall and enjoys checking out his surroundings! Check out Augustu’s horn that is beginning to form. It is good sized already and we expect that he will grow up to be a big guy!
Standing in the shadow and protection of his mother, baby Augustu is providing great entertainment for onlookers as he smells and tastes everything around. Like Obama, Augustu is very playful and seems to be having a great time! Bella is relaxed and even allows visitors. She is settling well into her new role as a mom.
Bella and Nandi are spending time together with their babies. They are still keeping a distance from the others and are expected to return when they feel the calves will be safe. The other rhinos seem to be missing them and wander near them to check things out, but are kept at a distance by the protective mothers.
A THIRD BABY joins the group!!!
Kori started out 2010 with a healthy baby boy on the second of January. Both mom and baby are doing great! Look how cute he is next to his mom!
Our yet to be named newest member of the group is always on the lookout with ears perked for new and exciting things to see (and eat).
Help support our new babies! Click here to help.
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