Lion Country Safari

Lion Country Safari Welcomes Second Rare Baby Chimpanzee 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Lion Country Safari welcomed a baby chimpanzee to its troop on Jan. 28, the second chimp baby born at the facility in a little over a year. The baby is making her debut on the island habitats in the preserve, and guests driving through the safari may see her clinging to mom. 

This baby has been named Lili in honor of the Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project, a conservation initiative in Sierra Leone. Due to the status of chimpanzees in the wild and the low number of births in the population, this birth is especially rare and significant for the conservation of the species. Her birth contributes to the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP), a national collaboration to save them from extinction.  

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Seeing Double: Lion Country Safari Welcomes Second Giraffe Baby in Less Than a Week

West Palm Beach – On Saturday, 12/31/2022, Lion Country Safari welcomed a second giraffe calf to its herd, just days after the first giraffe birth. The newest baby, a 161-pound (73.2kg), 6.1-foot-tall (1.9m) male, is the 18th member of the park’s giraffe herd, one of the largest in the country. Both calves are spending quality time bonding with their moms in adjacent maternity areas and are visible to guests from the road in the last section of the safari.  

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Baby Boom: Third Rare Rhino Born at Lion Country Safari in Less than a Year  

West Palm Beach, FL – Lion Country Safari welcomed a female Southern White Rhinoceros calf to its herd on August 6th, 2022, the third calf born at the park in less than a year. She is a significant contribution to the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan, a national collaboration to save the imperiled species from extinction. Both the calf and mom are spending quality time bonding together in a maternity area and will be visible to guests from their cars in the drive-through safari.  

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Irene and Baby Tonk Snuggle and Kiss Each Other

It's easy to see how much Irene adores baby Tonk! Tonk was born at Lion Country Safari in Florida as part of a collaborative conservation program to save chimps from extinction.

In the wild, chimps are endangered (and critically endangered in some regions), due to a number of factors, including wildlife trafficking. As adorable as Tonk is, he will one day be massive; we're talking over 150 pounds of pure muscle! Chimps need our support for conservation but they're #NotAPet.


Extremely Rare Baby Chimp

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Lion Country Safari welcomed a baby chimpanzee to its troop on Dec. 30, the first born at the facility in over 16 years and the only one born in 2021 at an AZA-accredited zoological park. The baby is making his debut on the island habitats in the preserve, and guests driving through the safari may see him clinging to mom. 

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This baby is a significant part of chimpanzee conservation, contributing to the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP), a national collaboration to save them from extinction. Chimpanzees are listed as endangered and critically endangered in some regions by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with populations decreasing due to habitat loss, poaching and disease.  

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Double Feature! Baby Rhino and Kudu Calf!

Second Rare Rhino Born At Lion Country Safari In 2021 Bolsters Conservation Efforts

Lion Country Safari welcomed a male Southern White Rhinoceros calf to its herd on November 17th, 2021, the second calf born at the park this year. He is a significant contribution to the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan, a national collaboration to save the imperiled species from extinction. Both the calf, named Josh, and mom are spending some quality time bonding together in a maternity area, which is visible to guests from their cars in the drive-through safari.  

Lion Country Safari is home to 15 White Rhinos – 11 females and 4 males and is a proud participant of the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan (SSP), a program of the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

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Rare Baby Rhino Born on World Rhino Day at Lion Country Safari!  

West Palm Beach, FL – In a very special celebration on World Rhino Day, Lion Country Safari welcomed a female Southern White Rhinoceros calf to its herd on Sept. 22, 2021. 

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This big baby is also a very big deal in the conservation world. She is a significant new part of the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan, a national collaboration to save this imperiled species from extinction. In celebration of the birth and in honor of World Rhino Day, Lion Country Safari is making a donation to the International Rhino Foundation.  

Both the calf and mom are spending quality time bonding in a maternity area, which is visible to guests from their cars in the drive-through safari. Lion Country Safari is one of only a few drive-through safari experiences in the United States.  

The baby, named Aziza (meaning precious), is the second offspring born to 8-year-old mom Anna. She is the 37th rhino calf born at the park since 1979. During the 1970s, this species was teetering on the edge of extinction with less than 1,000 individuals left on the planet. Today, thanks to multi-national collaborative breeding and protection efforts, there are an estimated 20,000 white rhinos and each new birth contributes to their continued conservation.    

Lion Country Safari’s veterinary team monitored Anna’s health with regular ultrasound exams and blood tests to ensure that mom and calf were progressing well throughout the 16-month pregnancy. 

Rhino mothers give birth to a single calf weighing between 88 and 132 pounds (40-60 kg). Aziza is expected to gain 3-4 pounds (1-2kg) a day from her mother's milk, and will gain about 1,000 pounds (450 kg) a year for the first three years. Baby rhinos nurse for almost two years. 

Of the five species of rhinos (White, Black, Indian, Sumatran and Javan), the white rhino is the most abundant, but all 5 species are in peril due mostly to poaching. The Southern White Rhinoceros is the only species of rhino that eats just grasses; the others also browse on trees and shrubs.  

Lion Country Safari is home to 14 White Rhinos – 11 females and 3 males and is a proud participant of the White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan (SSP), a program of the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The SSP ensures that a genetically sound population of White Rhinos survives should threats worsen in the wild.  

For more information on rhinos, visit the International Rhino Foundation: www.rhinos.org and Save the Rhinos www.savetherhino.org