Oregon Zoo’s endangered rhino baby gets a ‘sweet’ name
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The care staff at the Oregon Zoo have finally chosen a name for their eastern black rhinoceros baby born last December.
Tamu, which means “sweet” in Swahili, weighed around 100 pounds when he was born on Dec. 4 to his mother, Jozi. But now, the zoo says the calf weighs over 250 pounds.
Since rhino calves can gain up to five pounds every day, there is a lot of eating and sleeping in Tamu’s current routine, according to the zoo. But he is still venturing outside for gradually longer periods of time.
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“Tamu is a brave little calf,” said Chad Harmon, who supervises the zoo’s rhino area. “He’s been poking his head outside more and more, and even zooming away from Jozi every so often — though he always heads right back to find her.”
Even though the zoo is keeping Tamu and Jozi mostly off-view in the Africa area, they say lucky guests might get a quick glimpse of Jozi and Tamu on warm, dry days.
Tamu, Jozi and her companion, King, belong to the eastern subspecies of black rhinoceros, which has been designated as critically endangered and their western species counterpart was declared extinct in 2011 of black rhino was declared extinct.
“These rhinos represent a species that’s among the most imperiled on the planet,” said Kelley Gomez, who oversees the zoo’s Africa area. “Hopefully, their story can help inspire a new chapter in their conservation.”
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