She’s only a baby, but at 220 kilograms Werribee Open Range Zoo’s southern white rhinoceros calf Kipenzi is growing up fast and getting ready for her social debut.
Born in June, she’s not ready to be introduced to the herd on the zoo’s recreated African savannah yet, but visitors can see her in a behind- the-scenes encounter with her keepers on selected Saturdays until December 28.
Hand-reared by vets and keepers, Kipenzi is now learning how to be a rhinoceros, with protected visual contact with adult rhinos through a fence.
“Kipenzi is growing up quickly and it’s great to see how much she’s enjoying her new enclosure. We expect that introduction to the herd will take a number of months, as we gradually increase her interaction with the other rhinos”, zoo curator Russell Traher says.
