At Whipsnade we're home to seven southern white rhinos, after the birth of female calf Nandi on 21 August 2021. Keeper Becca Miles introduces you to our herd...
Sizzle
Date of birth: Exact date unknown, but born in 1988
Place of birth: Hluluwe-Umfolozi reserve in South Africa
Gender: Male
Sizzle, our only male, is a firm favourite of many keepers that have worked with him, is a big softy at heart and loves a good scratch! He's our chunkiest white rhino and has shorter, thicker horns than the girls. However, Mikumi gives him a run for his money in terms of size! He's dad to calf, Nandi.
Mikumi
Date of birth: 24 September 1990
Place of birth: Edinburgh Zoo
Gender: Female
Mikumi is the biggest female and is fairly close to the size of Sizzle. Her and Clara are the most dominant and grumpy! Her top horn has been cut down slightly.
Bertha
Date of birth: Exact date unknown but was born in 1998
Joined us from: Knuthenborg Zoo
Gender: Female
Bertha is probably our most stubborn white rhino! She is very independent but has now made very good friends with Jaseera who doesn’t leave her side, along with Fahari who is often seen nearby. You can tell her apart from the others as her top horn crosses over her bottom horn.
Tuli
Date of birth: 15 January 2007
Place of birth: Efurt Zoo, Germany
Gender: Female
Tuli is very energetic and food orientated. She's one of the quieter rhinos in the herd, often seen with Clara and Mikumi, but gets on with everyone. She has your ‘typical’ rhino horns, which are both curved and pointing upright. She's mum to calf Nandi.
Jaseera
Date of birth: 12 January 2011
Joined us from: Knowsley Safari Park
Gender: Female
When Jaseera first arrived with Fahari (from different collections), she was a mother figure to her, and is still just as close, and has also formed an attachment with Bertha. You can tell Jaseera apart from the others as she's lost her horn. This doesn’t hurt her at all, and it has started growing back already, but will take a good few years to fully grow back.
Fahari
Date of birth: 8 September 2017
Joined us from: West Midlands Safari Park
Gender: Female
Fahari is our smallest white rhino (apart from calf Nandi), but can stand her ground against all of the older rhinos! She is very close with Jaseera and Bertha. She loves a scratch and will lift her leg right up!
Nandi
Date of birth: 21 August 2021
Place of birth: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Gender: Female
Nandi, which means ‘sweet one’ in Zulu, was born to mum Tuli and dad Sizzle at 4am on 21 August. She took her first steps a couple of weeks later and is getting more confident every day.
Visitors can see Nandi and the herd, alongside ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s 9,500 animals, by booking a ticket online.
Select a blog
Our people are our greatest asset and we realise our vision for a world where wildlife thrives through their ideas, skills and passion. An inspired, informed and empowered community of people work, study and volunteer together at ZSL.
At ZSL, a key area of our work is the employment of Nature-based Solutions – an approach which both adapt to and mitigates the impacts of climate change. These Solutions, which include habitat protection and restoration, are low-cost yet high-impact, and provide multiple benefits to people and wildlife. We ensure that biodiversity recovery is at the heart of nature-based solutions.
A blog for lovers of ZSL London Zoo, bringing you extraordinary animal facts and exclusive access to the world's oldest scientific zoo.
Do you love wildlife? Discover more about our amazing animals at the UK's biggest zoo!
We're working around the world to conserve animals and their habitats, find out more about our latest achievements.
From the field to the lab, catch up with the scientists on the cutting edge of conservation biology at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology.
A day in Discovery and Learning at ZSL is never dull! The team tell us all about the exciting sessions for school children, as well as work further afield.
Every month, one of the pieces held in ZSL’s Library and at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo will feature here as Artefact of the Month.
Read testimonials from our Members and extracts from ZSL's award winning members' magazine, Wild About.
ZSL works across Asia, from the famous national parks of Nepal to marine protected areas in the Philippines. Read the latest updates on our conservation.
An Open Access journal for research at the interface of remote sensing, ecology and conservation.
