For this edition of our long-running weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap we utilize a tip from our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher, the veteran journalist who knows a good story when he sees one. [That's good story Masiki's mug shot.]
Andy put us in touch with his cousin, Jolene Westerling, our connection to history who is the Director of Social Media and Events at the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park in Litchfield Park, Arizona.
Litchfield Park is about 25 minutes south of the Texas Rangers Spring Training headquarters in Surprise, Az. The Texas Rangers winning the World Series on Nov. 1, 2023, was the biggest news in the neighborhood until Nov. 7 when a really healthy rare White Rhino named Masiki was born in the "maternity suite" at Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park. And, thanks to Jolene, we’ve got the update on the story!
We’d asked Jolene to get us a photo of Masiki taking a Rhino baby-nap. And she managed to capture this momma/daughter moment..Jolene explained, “I was able to get a picture of Masiki napping with her mom standing watch the other day. She had just finished nursing and decided a nap was in order.
“Usually her mom will nurse and nap in the corner of the yard so she will lay down with her, but for whatever reason she was nursing in the middle of the yard.”
How easy was it to catch Masiki cat-napping or doing her impression of a sleeping dog let lieing/lying/laying? Not all that easy! (LARRY NOTE: Lost my grammar handbook.)
Jolene told us early in her attempt to get a photo of Masiki actually sleeping, “The only 'napping' picture I have of her is when her mom and aunties were trying to nap but she was still wanting to play.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Until now I never really thought the word “play” and associated it with a Rhinoceros. They weren’t real common around the lakes, ponds, creeks and rivers in Bowie County when I was a kid! But, with age and help from knowledgeable people, we learn, don’t we! Thanks again, Jolene.]
When Masiki was born, Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park issued a news release that said the park “celebrates the first Rhino birth in decades in our state! The female White Rhino calf was born November 7 to her parents Zuri and Maoto, and is in excellent health!”
The news release also answered a key question: “The zoo's animal care team calls her ‘Siki,’ short for ‘Masiki,’ meaning ears.”
In the news release, Wildlife World’s Rhino Specialist Emily Kading explained, "She was tough to monitor through ultrasound because her ears kept getting in the way and after she was born, her ears were one of the first things to move after birth!”
Thanks to Jolene, we have a link to a video of Masiki’s ultrasound and a video of her kicking in the womb. And there’s a very special birth video. [LARRY GENTLE VIEWING TIP: This is a very REAL video that shows Masiki’s actual delivery at the park. It’s not quite like watching a momma dog or momma cat deliver on a comfort quilt, but it is like watching a miracle occur — and I have twin sons, so I know a miracle when I see one.— well, when I see two. And I’m going to guess there’s no such thing as a “litter of Rhino calves!" Yep, just one at a time, research says.]
Here’s that LINK TO THE ULTRASOUND AND BIRTHING VIDEO.]
Getting a baby Rhino takes some planning.
The news release about Masiki read, “Siki’s arrival has been nearly a decade in the making, starting with the zoo's highly anticipated Rhino conservation breeding plan.
“The project brought in 3 unrelated female Rhinos who were orphaned in South Africa, and have three completely new bloodlines for breeding. Wildlife World also acquired a once-imported male Rhino from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.”
The news release includes an enlightening passage. "This is the most significant birth we’ve had in the history of our zoo!” says Kristy Hayden, Wildlife World's President. “This baby opens up a whole new bloodline that will play a key role in Rhino conservation for decades to come. I'm grateful Wildlife World had the resources and capabilities to import her mother Zuri from Africa [to Arizona!], where she is no longer at risk of being killed by poachers, and to provide her and Maoto a natural environment to procreate!”
The news release says that “the entire Rhino population is at risk At the start of the 20th Century, 500,000 Rhinos roamed the wild. Today, only 27,000 Rhinos survive in Africa.”
Each day in South Africa, according to the release “poachers kill 3 or more Rhinos…in order to meet the black-market demand for Rhino horn, falsely believed to be an aphrodisiac in some Asian cultures. As their population declines, poachers continuously break into rhino orphanages and sanctuaries, and are even starting to target zoos in order to kill these animals for their horn, which is made of nothing more than keratin—the same protein that makes up human hair and fingernails.”
[LARRY FYI: That's baby girl and mom -- the rhinotyke is waiting for mommy to get up and romp!]
Back to the news release, which adds, “Over the past 40 years, Wildlife World has supplied in-kind support, staff expertise and tens of thousands of dollars to local, national and international organizations dedicated to the survival of the world’s most endangered species. As part of Wildlife World's dedication to Rhino conservation, the zoo works alongside the American Institute of Rhinoceros Science (AIRS) collaborating on new initiatives, taking Rhino science to a higher level to improve genetic diversity and fight against the extinction of the Rhinos!”
To close on a high note, here’s a LINK TO SAKI ROMPING WITH THE GROWNUPS.
So, a special thanks to Jolene Westerling and the folks at Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park. That’s heartfelt gratitude not just for helping us produce this edition, but especially for working so hard to give the world that rare baby Rhinoceros — the beautiful new member of a wonderful species that has a place in the hearts of those of us who love our Planet Earth.
[DEAR READERS: Send photos of your sleeping dogs, napping cats or snoozing beasts of any kind to [email protected] and readlarrypowell.com will spotlight those beloved animals and their stories in our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Thank you all for reading since this weekly snoozing critter feature made its debut on May 14, 2005.]
LARRY FYI: This is one of my favorite photos sent to us by Jolene. These individuals are so human -- the growns are read for a nap and the kid might just have some playtime energy left over! Click on the photo to make it grow as big as your 21st Certury screen!
