Rare white rhino born at Brit zoo to be named after Queen Elizabeth II in odd tribute

dailystar.co.uk:

Queen in town after a White Rhino was born earlier this week.Birthed at the Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, the rare creature was named in honour of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth’s II, as it was given the name “Queenie”.It is the fifth White Rhino to be born in the UK in the past 12 months, and just the 15th out of all European Zoos.The name was chosen with the Platinum Jubilee year in mind.She is the ninth White Rhino calf to be born at the Burford collection and is the daughter of Monty and Nancy.It is the couple's fifth breeding success together.Visitors can see the newborn daily from 10am in the solar-powered Rhino house or the large Rhino paddock overlooking the Manor House.Reggie Heyworth, Managing Director of Cotswold Wildlife Park, said: “We feel very lucky to have another baby female Rhino, which is our fifth female baby in a row.“All the Rhinos here are named after very special people and I think everyone agrees that 2022 will always be special because of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee."I thought it might be a bit presumptuous to call our new baby ‘Elizabeth’, so I have christened her ‘Queenie’ instead.

I think it is a perfect name for a young lady Rhino.”The iconic animal was once the rarest of any Rhino species and was also on the verge of extinction in the early 1900s, when it was believed only around 20 to 50 of the animal remained in its native African homeland.But it is now the most common of the five Rhino species, while three of the five - Black, Javan and Sumatran – are still critically endangered.Cotswold Wildlife Park has raised more than £120,000 for conservation work in Africa in the last 10 years through various fundraising events.Never want to miss a story like this?