A new female Southern white rhino, Evey, has taken up residency in the Rhino Barn at Rolling Hills Zoo after making the move from The Wild Safari Park and Conservation Center at Cumberland, Ohio last week.
Her move came on a breeding recommendation by the Species Survival Plan (SSP) of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), of which Rolling Hills Zoo is an accredited member.
Born at The Wilds, Evey was named for her birth date - December 31st. She turns fourteen at the end of this year. While her parents have moved to other zoos as part of the SSP, Evey remained as part of a 15 member white rhino herd. This herd is managed as one large social group, and the only rhinos that were not born there were two adult breeding males.
Evey has successfully given birth to three offspring: Jaycambo, a male born in 2011; Agnes, a female born in 2014; and Gordon, a male born in 2017. Evey has been a great mother to all three. While Jaycambo is no longer at The Wilds, Agnes and Gordon have remained as part of the herd.
Currently trained for voluntary blood draws only, the RHZ keepers will begin working with Evey so she can participant in her own healthcare as do her counterparts, Uzazi and Joya, RHZ’s white and greater one-horned rhinos.
“She is a beautiful, young white rhino, who we have learned is rather spirited and lets her opinion show,” said Bob Jenkins, RHZ’s executive director. “Having given birth three times in the past, we are looking forward to introducing her to Uzazi, our male, once she has grown accustomed to her new home.”