TORONTO, ON, Tuesday, February 27, 2024: Your Toronto Zoo is thrilled to announce our “big but little” white rhino calf, affectionately known as #TZTankPuppy, officially has a name: Kifaru (Kee-FAHR-oo). The name means both “tank” and “rhino” in Swahili, so it was the perfect fit for this rambunctious baby!
Kifaru will be making his first outdoor public appearance to Toronto Zoo guests later this spring, once the weather is consistently warmer. In the meantime, Zoo guests can purchase a limited edition Baby Rhino Wild Encounter, as a way to meet him in his indoor home over the next couple of months. While the Wildlife Care team is always protective of new baby animals at your Zoo while they bond with their mothers, the team feels he is ready to meet a small number of guests and are equally excited that a portion of the proceeds are being used to help conservation efforts for white rhinos in the wild.
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While there are very few Wild Encounter spots left to meet Kifaru in person before he heads to his outdoor habitat later this spring, he and his mother, Sabi, can be seen virtually on zoolife - the world's first online zoo. Guests will be able to view these white rhinos over the next 30 days (from 1:00pm - 6:00pm) with a free trial. It’s a great way to watch Kifaru grow while also contributing to species conservation, since 80% of proceeds from zoolife subscriptions directly fund wildlife care and conservation efforts here at your Toronto Zoo. Watch Kifaru, beginning today, at torontozoo.com/livecams
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“Baby arrivals always make for an exciting time for our team and our community of supporters, but more importantly, it also helps secure the sustainability of rhino populations in human care” says Dolf DeJong, CEO, Toronto Zoo. “As we head into our 50th year, it’s a reminder that our contribution to conservation efforts are more important than ever before. We’re looking forward to introducing Kifaru to our guests, especially because we know making that connection lasts a lifetime, and hopefully encourages people to get involved and support rhino conservation efforts”.
Kifaru was born the morning of December 28th and was the first calf for mom, Sabi. Toronto Zoo staff were thrilled to see both Sabi and her baby remain healthy and have spent the last two months bonding as Wildlife Care staff introduce different forms of enrichment items to him. Rhinos are a very tactile species, so enrichment items (such as recycled tires) are perfect for a growing and energetic calf.
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While every rhino pregnancy is exciting, Sabi’s was especially so. Following her arrival in Toronto in 2012, hormone monitoring performed by our Reproductive Science team identified that Sabi exhibited "long" estrus cycles (~70 days in length, compared to the typical ~30 days of fertile females), which have made conception a significant challenge for her. Following continual adjustments in daily care and diet, Sabi’s behaviour in spring 2022 suggested that her hormonal cycles had switched from the long cycles to the typical cycle length. The likelihood of successfully conceiving for the first time drops with age in many species, including White rhinos, and Zoo staff were keenly aware of this with Sabi. Your Toronto Zoo Wildlife Care and Reproductive Science teams were thrilled that the breeding introductions with white rhino male Tom in summer 2022 were successful.
There are fewer than 16,000 white rhinos left in the wild, with numbers currently declining due to habitat loss and the continued increase in poaching for their horns for the illegal wildlife trade. To support white rhino conservation efforts, please consider donating to the Wilding Rhino Conservation Fund. Through this fund, the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy is proud to be partnering with the International Rhino Foundation, furthering your Toronto Zoo's conservation impact worldwide: www.wildlifeconservancy.ca/baby
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Check out the media toolkit! To access and download exclusive footage of Kifaru and mom Sabi.
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The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and our vision is a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive.
An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.2 million guests each year.
Toronto Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
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