Spring is bringing even more reason to celebrate at The Wilds!
Just weeks after welcoming its first southern white rhino calf of the year, The Wilds has welcomed a second calf, a female born on March 28, 2026, to 12-year-old mother Kali.
For Kali, this marks her third calf and adds another chapter to a remarkable family legacy. Born at The Wilds herself, Kali now continues the same multigenerational conservation story that has made the conservation center a leader in rhino breeding and care. Animal Management teams report that both mother and calf are doing well and continuing to bond in the rhino barn.
The calf’s sire is Bernard, who resides at The Wilds as well. This is his second calf born at the conservation center and the 17th calf he has sired during his lifetime. Pairings like Kali and Bernard’s are recommended through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan®, which helps ensure a healthy, genetically diverse population of southern white rhinos in professional care.
With this newest arrival, The Wilds has now welcomed its 15th fifth-generation southern white rhino calf, further reinforcing its extraordinary role in sustaining multiple generations of rhinos outside of Africa. Home to one of the largest southern white rhino herds in North America, The Wilds also cares for greater one-horned rhinos, expanding its global conservation impact across multiple species.
This exciting birth follows the arrival of a male calf born on March 5, 2026, to mother Agnes, who was also paired with Bernard through the Species Survival Plan. Agnes and her calf are also thriving.
While the two calves have not yet been introduced, those first interactions are still to come and promise to be a special milestone. For now, each calf will continue growing alongside its mother before eventually beginning to explore, socialize, and reveal the personalities that make every rhino calf so memorable.
Additional updates, including names for both calves, will be shared on The Wilds’ social media channels as they become available.
“Welcoming two calves in such a short time is a testament to the expertise and dedication of our animal management teams,” said Dr. Joe Greathouse, vice president of The Wilds. “Their daily care and long-term planning are central to The Wilds’ leadership in rhino conservation and play an important role in supporting the future of this species.”
The significance of these births reaches far beyond The Wilds’ pastures.
Southern white rhinos were once pushed to the brink of extinction, with fewer than 100 individuals remaining in the early 1900s. Today, thanks to coordinated global conservation efforts including habitat protection, managed breeding, and population support, the species has rebounded to tens of thousands. Even so, southern white rhinos remain classified as Near Threatened, and continued threats like habitat loss and poaching make every successful birth part of a much larger conservation mission.
At The Wilds, each calf is more than a milestone. It is a living symbol of what long-term conservation planning, expert animal care, and global collaboration can achieve.
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