First birthday celebration for Hamilton Zoo rhino calf

10 MARCH 2011 For Immediate Release

The youngest member of Hamilton Zoo’s Southern white rhinoceros herd turns one year old this Saturday.

Ubuntu, who is nicknamed ‘Bunty’, will celebrate the milestone with a 1st birthday bash at Hamilton Zoo on Saturday from 11am-1pm. The party will include music, entertainment, a ‘pin the horn on the rhino’ competition, face painting and spot prizes. There will also be free cake and ice block giveaways.

Normal zoo entry fees will apply.

Hamilton Zoo director Stephen Standley said the milestone is an exciting one for the facility.

“Since his birth last year Ubuntu has become our own mini-celebrity and is definitely a firm favourite amongst visitors. So it is only fitting that we invite visitors to come along and help celebrate this special milestone with Bunty and the team at Hamilton Zoo,” he said.

Party-goers will also have the opportunity to donate towards Project Bunty, which is raising funds for a new rhino shelter to be built at Hamilton Zoo. The shelter will house the rhinos overnight during wet weather, make it easier to feed the animals on public display during the colder, wet months, and enable more of the species to be maintained at the zoo.

About Ubuntu Bunty earned is nickname after a rough start to life – a difficult labour caused blood blisters to form in his eyes and he had almost zero vision at birth. This led to difficulties with feeding and staff resorted to hand-milking his mother Kito in order to bottle-feed the calf. His eyesight and health improved over time and soon staff had affectionately nicknamed him ‘Bunty’ due to his boisterous nature.

When a naming competition was later held to find a permanent name for the calf, local radio presenter Mark Bunting (who is also nicknamed Bunty) launched the ‘Ubuntu Campaign’ to gather support for the calf to be named Ubuntu (a word common in Bantu languages in southern Africa, which describes unity and cohesion) and for the nickname ‘Bunty’ to be retained.

The campaign won strong public support and the decision was made in May 2010 to officially name the calf Ubuntu.

Ubuntu was the fifth white rhino to be born at Hamilton Zoo, with only eight having ever been born in New Zealand.

ENDS

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