Busch Gardens Tampa Bay invites Facebook fans to vote on newborn rhino's name, polls close Nov. 7

TAMPA BAY - The name of a week-old rhinoceros at Busch Gardens is in the hands of Facebook fans.

Busch Garden Tampa Bay has invited their Facebook fans to help choose a name for a newborn white female rhino.

Busch Gardens works with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan to ensure genetic diversification among threatened and endangered animals.

the population of white rhinos is less than 15,000 in the wild and 200 in zoological facilities in North America.

The baby’s mother, father and another female were airlifted from a South African park in 2001 through a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of rhinos.

Starting today, anyone can “like” the Busch Gardens Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/buschgardenstampabay ) then vote for one of four Swahili different names:  

• Bahati, meaning luck or success
• Jasiri, which means brave and bold
• Safiri, which means traveler
• Saba, which refers to her being the seventh white rhino born at Busch Gardens  

The polls will close at noon on November 7, and the wining name will be announced the following morning.       

Visit the Busch Gardens Blog to learn more about the baby’s progress from her keepers.