Updates from Amani's Keepers:

Amani and Future are thriving! Amani is still her calm, easy-going self. Future is feisty, but very sweet, and loves receiving scratches from the team as much as Edward does.

Future has explored the big yard and even howdied with Victoria and Edward—she’s ready to make new friends! Edward is still a little shy, but Victoria and Amani seem comfortable with one another and the other's calf. We think they’ll all be ready for full introductions soon.

Updates from Amani's Keepers:

Future weighs 255 pounds and spends her free time running around the barn and smaller yards, just like Edward did. She loves scratches from the keepers and stands still with her side presented, anticipating that someone will bend down and scratch her—it's adorable.

We need to fill in some erosion in the big yard before Future can explore it. The recent heavy rains have washed out some areas and made the ground uneven, so we want to "baby-proof" it for her, first.

Future howdied with "Aunt" Wallis, Amani’s closest companion, and it went very well. Wallis has been playing gently with Edward and seems very fond of the little ones. We're excited for a full introduction between Future and Wallis when the time comes.

She Has a Name!

Named after a strong female leader and past president of a foundation which has generously supported our groundbreaking program, Amani's calf has been named Future.

Future is the first female calf born at the Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center. She’s also the 100th southern white rhino born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and the 188th rhino born in our care.

Find out more about why we chose Future for her name.

We're so excited to share this news with you!

Amani gave birth to a healthy female calf at 12:46 a.m. on November 21, 2019! The calf is doing well and has gotten the hang of nursing.

Up until she went into labor, Amani was her typical, calm self. We were waiting for her to show some kind of need to isolate herself, but it never really happened. She continued to spend time near Wallis, another rhino at the Rescue Center, who was chosen to be Amani's pregnancy buddy.

We began monitoring Amani around the clock a few days before she gave birth, when she started to show physical changes that indicated her labor was near. Amani had a quick, calm labor, surrounded by her animal care team. The baby took a breath immediately and there were no complications.

Amani and her baby are doing very well and are still being monitored by the animal care team.

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Updates from Amani's Keepers:

This July, we were thrilled to welcome Edward, the first rhino ever born at the Rhino Rescue Center. Since then, we’ve been watching and marveling at his development under the loving eye of his awesome mom, Victoria. And now we’re about to experience that heart-swelling joy all over again—another little rhino is expected any day now!

Amani is still doing very well, and we’re officially within her delivery window. We’re continuing once-a-week abdominal ultrasounds, and we can occasionally see the baby kick from outside her abdomen!

Get more of the keepers' perspective, with the Rhino Keeper Diaries.

Updates from Amani's Keepers:

Amani is quickly approaching her due date. We’ve seen some physical changes this week and we're monitoring her closely. She's starting to slow down a bit, which is normal and expected. She's spending the nights in the maternity area of the barn with another rhino, Wallis, who is her pregnancy buddy.

We were very fortunate to have such a smooth, textbook delivery when Victoria gave birth to Edward, but we are still prepared for any scenario with Amani.

Updates from Amani's Keepers:

Amani is doing very well. She’s about 5-6 weeks away from her due date, which coincides with the 4-year anniversary of the rhinos’ arrival from South Africa! It's amazing to think about what this collaborative effort has accomplished in just 4 years.

She’s still enjoying all of her favorite foods, including orchard hay, produce, and pellets. She’s attentive and eager during weekly abdominal ultrasounds. We can see the fetus, but can’t identify any specific body parts because the calf is so large, now!

Updates from Amani's Keepers:

Amani just passed day 400 of her approximately 480-day pregnancy! She weighs 4,994 pounds.

Her calf is very active during weekly abdominal ultrasounds. Amani's side twitches as the calf moves around. It's hard to identify any of the baby's body parts for the moment, because of the way it's positioned.

Amani's behavior hasn't changed; she's still very cooperative during ultrasounds and health checks. She's enduring the hottest months of the year in this last trimester, so we're making sure she has lots of muddy wallows to relax in.

We're repeating the same preparations we made before Victoria's labor and delivery.

Amani’s baby is expected in November or December of 2019. Her caretakers report that she's slowing down a little and taking it easy. This is normal and expected. She's appreciating extra attention and snacks.

Amani has reached day 205 of her pregnancy, almost the middle of her second trimester. Her baby’s feet are nearly 5 cm wide now—about the same as a large paperclip.

Amani is only about 10 weeks along, and rhino pregnancies last 16-18 months. It’s early in her pregnancy, and the road ahead is long, but we’re so excited to share this wonderful news. Donors like you make the work at the Rhino Rescue Center possible.

Learn more about rhinos, the challenges they face, and what you can do to help >