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Ozzy the white rhino calf on his first World Rhino Day, 22 September 2025. Photography: Safari West.
Ozzy update – celebrating his first Fall and his first World Rhino Day
Safari West is delighted to share an update with The Solo Traveller on their youngest resident – Ozzy, the southern white rhino calf born in late June. Now just over two months old, Ozzy is stepping into his very first Fall (Autumn) on the Sonoma Serengeti. “He’s growing quickly, already showing the beginnings of his little horn, and guests often spot him bursting into joyful ‘zoomies’ across his habitat”, Safari West’s Aphrodite tells The Solo Traveller.
Like all young rhinos, Ozzy depends closely on his mother, Eesha, in these early months – staying near her side, nursing often, and learning how to navigate his world. In the wild, rhino calves remain with their mothers for two to three years, gradually building independence while still relying on her protection. For now, Ozzy’s days are filled with nursing, playful romps, and the steady comfort of his mother’s watchful presence.
Currently weighing in at 245 lbs (111 kgs), Ozzy is very playful and interested in enrichment. He will bravely explore new enrichment items, even if Eesha isn’t with him. He also loves taking naps in his mum’s meals (grass hay).
Ozzy the white rhino calf on World Rhino Day 2025. Photography: Safari West.
Yet his story is more than a moment of joy – it’s a reminder of what is at stake for rhinos worldwide. All five rhino species face immense challenges, from poaching to habitat loss. Fewer than 20,000 southern white rhinos remain in the wild, and their survival depends on conservation action. Every birth in human care offers not just hope for the species, but also a chance to inspire awareness and education.
White rhinos have been more successful than the other rhino species in recent years and considered near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List (an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological species), but they still need our help. According to International Rhino Foundation's ‘2025 State of the Rhino’ report, ‘By the end of 2024, the number of white rhinos in Africa dropped to 15,752, down from 17,464 in 2023’.
“Ozzy may be small, but he carries the weight of a global conservation story”, Aphrodite tells us. “As Ozzy grows, he reminds us daily of what’s at stake, and of the hope that comes with every new generation. This World Rhino Day, we raise a horn for Ozzy – and for rhinos everywhere – as symbols of resilience, spirit, and the fight for a wild future.”
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