Introducing Aria, a Baby Rhino at Zoo Miami

It is my great pleasure to introduce you to Aria, a female black rhinoceros that was born on Sunday, May 25th, 2014 at Zoo Miami. Isn’t she precious?

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Aria was the 13th successful birth at Zoo Miami for this very highly endangered species. Weighing well over 100 pounds at birth, she was born after an approximately 15 month gestation period. The 14-year-old mother named Circe was born at the Riverbanks Zoo and arrived at Zoo Miami in 2006. The father, named Eddie, is also 14 years old and was born at the Cincinnati Zoo.

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Black rhinos are critically endangered as they continue to be poached at alarming rates in Eastern and Southern Africa. There used to be more than 100,000 running wild in Africa and within the past century, those numbers are now down to an estimated 5,000 individuals. Unfortunately they are hunted for their horns, which are prized possessions in some eastern cultures and used for both medicinal purposes and status symbols.

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“Though she was very tentative at first and wouldn’t venture far from the barn, once she got the nerve, she went out and immediately started running from one end to the other,” says Ron Magill, Zoo Goodwill Ambassador and Communications Director. “It was a challenge to get a clean shot of her as she with her running so much! An absolute joy to watch and I encourage all of you to get out there and see her!”

If You Go: Zoo Miami is located at 1 Zoo Boulevard 12400 SW 152 Street Miami, FL 33177. Adult tickets are $15.95 per person and child tickets are $11.95. The zoo is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Call (305) 251-0400 or visit Zoomiami.org for more info.

Want more travel tips from VISIT FLORIDA’s Entertainment & Luxury Insider? Follow Kara Franker on Twitter and Facebook.

This story originally published on VisitFlorida.com. 

 

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