The biggest addition at Florida’s Lion Country Safari is just a week old:  a 155-pound female Southern White Rhinoceros calf is now on display in the Rhino maternity area of the drive-through safari. 

Born on April 6, 2013 to mom Bloom after 16 months of gestation, the baby has been named Anna, after Rhino conservationist Anna Merz, who passed away on April 4. Merz was a founder of The Lewa Conservancy, which was established to conserve Rhinos in Kenya and has since grown to protect many species of African birds and mammals.

Photo Credit:  Lion Country Safari

Lion Country Safari is home to 14 Rhinos and has produced 33 Rhino offspring since 1979 as a participant in the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. 

Of the five extant species of Rhinos (White, Black, Indian, Sumatran and Javan) the White Rhino is the most abundant, with approximately 20,150 alive today.  However, all five Rhino species are in peril.  The most significant threat to Rhinos is the trade in Rhino horn, which is used for traditional Asian medicine and as dagger handles in some Middle Eastern countries.  Despite international protections and treaties, demand for Rhino horn continues to escalate.

See more photos of Anna below the fold.