Several weeks ago, theme park opened a poll, allowing voters to choose between the names Viazi meaning “potato,” Vumbi meaning “dust” or Bahati meaning “luck” or “fortune,” and Viazi was the clear winner.
Viazi was born earlier this year, and recently released into the amusement park’s Serengeti plain. You can visit him by taking a ride on the Serengeti Express, Busch Gardens’ railway which runs through the Serengeti plain, or take the Serengeti Safari, an off-road tour of the Serengeti plain.
Alongside Viazi and his mother, Kisiri, you’ll be able to see other African wildlife such as zebra, giraffe, ostrich, and antelope on the 65-acre plain.
Southern white rhinos stand more than six feet when fully grown, and weigh around 5,000 pounds. They are currently listed as protected by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN), and Busch Gardens is doing their part by participating in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Survival Species Plan (SSP) to help protect species such as the Southern white rhino.
This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 2, 2022.