Kiri The Rhino Celebrates Her Birthday at Marwell Zoo

Marwell Zoo have celebrated the 37th birthday of their beloved southern white rhinoceros, Kiri. Kiri has lived at the English attraction since 1998 when she arrived as a two year old from ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.

To mark the occasion, Jamie Carter Animal Assistant on Marwell Zoo’s hoofstock team prepared a special cake for the rhino. This cake was formed from hay and specialised pellets selected for the animal by the zoo’s nutrionist.

Kiri is one of four southern white rhinoceros to live at Marwell Zoo. These animals have lived at the zoo since 1986. She lives alongside 10 year old male, Jabari, 10 year old female Pembe and the baby of the group, 6 year old Zahra.

Guests can meet Kiri and the rest of the rhino crash within their specialised habitat at Marwell Zoo. This features a specially designed house, adjacent hardstanding, water hole and a paddock which they share with Grevy’s zebra and scimitar horned oryx. To ensure their health it includes all the resources rhinos naturally use, including plenty of year-round grazing, sandy areas for resting and rolling, mud wallow, and shade trees along with rocks and tree trunks for rubbing against. 

Southern white rhinoceros have a wide mouth which had led to the nickname of ‘square-lipped rhino.’ This is adapted for feeding on grass.