The zoo did not have Kipenzi s weight, but spokeswoman Morgan Purvis said mature females can weigh 4,000 to 6,000 pounds.
Kipenzi shares her habitat in the Plains of East Africa exhibit with two other southern white rhinos Gabriella, or Gabby, 26, and Archie, 51, who is the third-oldest male rhino in the world. A group of rhinos is called a crash. She may breed with Archie. However, due to his age we will explore artificial insemination options, Purvis said.
Also in the Plains of East Africa exhibit are greater kudu, East African gray crowned-cranes, Marabou stork and a North African ostrich.
Southern white rhinos, native to Sub-Saharan Africa, are the most prevalent of the five types of existing rhinoceros. They were near extinction in the late 19th century, with less than 100, but have since recovered to around 18,000 today because of careful protection and management, according to the zoo.