Hamilton Zoo seeks name suggestions for rhino calf

Hamilton Zoo staff are calling on the help of the public to find a suitable name for the newest member of its Southern white rhinoceros herd.

The seven-week-old male rhino calf has won the hearts of zoo visitors and staff since overcoming a difficult start to life. Born on 12 March to first-time mum Kito (9-years-old) and father Kruger (21-years-old), the calf suffered from blood blisters in his eyes and had almost zero vision at birth. This coupled with Kito’s inexperience as a mother led to difficulties with feeding and staff initially had to hand-milk Kito in order to bottle-feed the calf.

Hamilton Zoo acting zoo director Samantha Kudeweh said that with the calf’s eyes now completely clear and his health concerns over, staff are keen to see him given an official name.

“The calf is not only the newest member of our rhino group, but he has become a very special member of the wider Hamilton Zoo family,” she said. “Therefore we are keen to see him given a name that reflects his outgoing personality and his strength of character, and reinforces his position within the rhino herd.”

As revealed in a newspaper article earlier this month, until an official name can be decided on some zoo staff have been affectively referring to the calf as ‘Bunty’, due to his boisterous antics.

“Typically all our rhinoceroses have been given African names to reflect the origin of the Southern white rhino species. So while ‘Bunty’ has served us well in the interim, we feel that now is the right time to find a name that is more in line with our existing rhino troop,” said Mrs Kudeweh.

Along with Kito and Kruger, Hamilton Zoo’s other white rhinos are called Moesha and Kifaru.

Name suggestions for the calf can be submitted at Hamilton Zoo reception and online at www.hamiltonzoo.co.nz. The submitter of the winning name will receive an Eye2Eye with the rhinos at Hamilton Zoo (valued at $400).