NORFOLK, VA. - The Virginia Zoo welcomes two juvenile white rhinos named Bora and Zina. They arrived over the weekend from Singapore and will reside in the Africa Okavango Delta.
"We are so excited to welcome these beautiful young rhinos whose gene pool is new to the United States," said Greg Bockheim, Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo. "With less than 20,000 white rhinos left in the wild, Bora and Zina will contribute greatly to the future of their species," Bockeim added.
The Species Survival Plan (SSP) has placed a male white rhino to be paired with the new female rhinos. He plans to arrive later this year.
Bora and Zina were born at the Singapore Zoo in 2013. The name "Bora" means snow in Albanian and "Zina" means secret spirit in African. The two weigh between 2,200 and 2,700 pounds and stand five feet tall.
They're fewer than 20,000 white rhinos and some scientists predict all rhino species may become extinct within the next 20 years.
Virginia Zoo visitors will be able to check out Bora and Zina on exhibit after a 30-day quarantine period in which they will be under observation by the zoo's veterinarian, Vet Techs and Zoo Keepers to make sure they are healthy and happy.
