A busy month for the Hoofstock Team

It’s been a very busy month for the Hoofstock Team!

We’re very excited to have welcomed two new animals to our team in the month of December. Our southern white rhino calf was born on Christmas Eve, and our new plains zebra, Imara, arrived just a few days later from another AZA-accredited organization. Imara has been settling in nicely. She is currently undergoing a 30-day quarantine period before being introduced to the savanna animals and habitat. This is routine for all animals coming to Zoo Atlanta and ensures that new animals have a clean bill of health before being introduced to our animal population. We are especially looking forward to introducing her to our male zebra, Wembe!

Our rhino calf just a little over a month old now and has been thriving! We’ve been trying to give Kiazi, the calf’s mother, plenty of time and space to bond with the calf. Kiazi has had calves at her previous facilities, so she knows exactly what to do. She’s been an exemplary mom for her current calf! At this point, the calf is nursing regularly and has been seen mouthing some of Mom’s hay diet. We expect to see the calf start trying out solid foods at about 1 month of age, so we’re right on track! Calves can gain 10 pounds a day at this stage of their lives. We’ve seen so much growth in just the past few weeks!

Since the temperatures have been a bit chilly, the pair has been housed indoors in our rhino complex. They have the opportunity to explore spaces visible to the public for short periods every day, so you may have been lucky enough to see them already! We’ve loved getting to see the calf’s personality shine while exploring these spaces. The calf loves her “zoomies” and has even started sparring with some of their enrichment items!

Our next step (weather dependent) is to give the pair time in an outdoor space behind the scenes. Once they are comfortable, we will work to give them time out on habitat. We don’t have a timeline yet for habitat introductions, so keep an eye out for more updates about Kiazi and calf!

Bridget S.
Senior Keeper, Hoofstock and Elephants