Yebonga the Southern White Rhino Turns 50

This morning Reid Park Zoo celebrated a milestone birthday for Yebonga the Southern white rhino, who is among the oldest of her species in AZA zoos. The median life expectancy for southern white rhinos is 36 years old, and today (Saturday, April 15) is Yebonga’s 50th birthday.

To celebrate, Yebonga’s care team arraigned some of her favorite snacks (hay mixed with rosemary) into a festive “50,” made her a veggie ice cake, and provided lots of scent enrichment for Yebonga to enjoy ask she explored her habitat. Zoo guests celebrated with treats of their own (cookies provided by the Narcus Family Trust) and rosemary seeds to plant in their home gardens.

Those who wish to celebrate Yebonga can do so by standing up for her wild cousins. They can support rhinos in the wild by not purchasing items harvested from threatened or endangered species either in the US or when traveling abroad. Furthermore, they can vote in local and national elections to take a stand against wildlife and wildlife artifact trading.