Help Name a Baby Rhino

Busch Gardens has a big problem on its hands and it’s counting on fans of the Tampa theme park to help bail it out.

It seems the park’s newest southern white rhinoceros calf has been released into the Serengeti Plain with other members of her crash, but she’s still lacking a name. Born on Oct. 16 to one of the park’s more experienced rhino mothers, Kisiri, the critter is so special park employees have come up with three potential monikers. Now, however, they just can’t seem to decide.

The options, all in Swahili, are:

• Nyota, which means star
• Nadra, which means rare
• Alasiri, which means afternoon

Rather than battle it out in-house, Busch Gardens has decided to ask its Facebook fans to help select the final name. An online poll to make that choice will run through Nov. 11.

Kasiri and her newborn daughter joined the rest of the white rhino herd in the park’s Serengeti Plain area earlier this week. That means visitors to the attraction just might catch a glimpse of the rare creature.

Southern white rhinos are considered near-threatened with just over 20,000 left in the wild, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources reports. To help bolster the number of white rhinos left, Busch Gardens takes part in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.

To find out more about Busch Gardens, visit the park online. To vote on the baby’s name, visit Busch Gardens on Facebook.

Photo courtesy of Busch Gardens