Say hello to Ruby: Lion Country Safari welcomes third baby rhinoceros of 2022

Valentina Palm, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read

LOXAHATCHEE — The rhinoceros family at Lion Country Safari has grown again.

It welcomed Ruby, a female southern white rhinoceros, on Saturday, the third rhino calf delivered in the park this year. Her mother is Blossom, a 7-year-old southern white rhino.

“Both the calf and mom are spending quality time bonding together in a maternity area and will be visible to guests from their cars in the drive-through safari,” the park said in a news release.

Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee welcomed Ruby (right), a southern white rhinoceros, on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022. She is the third rhino calf born at the animal park in the past year. With her is her mother, Blossom, a 7-year-old southern white rhinoceros.
Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee welcomed Ruby (right), a southern white rhinoceros, on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022. She is the third rhino calf born at the animal park in the past year. With her is her mother, Blossom, a 7-year-old southern white rhinoceros.

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Ruby is the 39th rhino born since 1979 at the animal park. It is home to 16 white rhinos — 12 females and 4 males — and is part of the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan, a national program by the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums to prevent their extinction.

The protected species is native from Africa and is making a comeback after conservationists thought they had gone extinct during the end of the 1990s when most perished to poaching.

“Blossom’s family line is considered underrepresented in the population,” Lion Country Safari said in its statement. “Each offspring’s genes are important to the overall diversity and health of the population under human care and to the conservation of the species."

Lion Country Safari also is a member of the American Institute of Rhinoceros Science research program, which focuses on specializing the care of rhinos in human institutions.

Zoo officials haven't yet been able to weigh and measure Ruby but estimate she already weighs about 100 pounds.

Rhino mothers give birth to a single calf weighing between 88 and 132 pounds. Ruby is expected to gain between 3 and 4 pounds a day from her mother's milk and will gain about 1,000 pounds a year during her first three years.

Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Loxahatchee and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on Twitter at @ValenPalmB.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lion Country Safari welcomes Ruby, third baby rhinoceros born during 2022