Fresno Chaffee Zoo welcomes ‘newest little girl.’ It’s the 5th calf for mom, dad

For the fifth time in less than a decade, a pair of southern white rhinos have produced an offspring at Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

The baby, a female calf, was born Nov. 28.

The zoo announced the birth with a video on its social media Monday.

“We are thrilled to welcome another rhino calf,” General Curator Nicole Presley said in a statement. “Both mom and calf are resting and bonding behind the scenes,” where they will remain until making their debut on the savanna African Adventure.

The zoo has not said when that will happen.

The calf’s parents, Tim and Kayla, came to Fresno in 2015 for the grand opening of African Adventure; Kayla from Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando and Tim from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

The pair quickly took to breeding.

“They were breeding when they got here, before the exhibit opened,” a zoo spokeswoman said in 2017, announcing Kayla’s third pregnancy (her first at Fresno Chaffee Zoo). The calf was born soon after that.

A second calf was born in 2019 and a third followed in 2020. A fourth calf, a male, was born in 2022.

“Kayla is an experienced mother and, as expected, is doing an exceptional job,” the zoo said.

In the past, the zoo’s rhino calves have been named with public input, though this time the naming may fall to the rhino’s animal welfare team. Any announcements will be made on the zoo’s social media pages.

Southern white rhinos in the wild

In the wild, southern white rhinos are considered near threatened, according to the IUCN Red List of species that exist at or near extinction level. The animals have been successfully bred at several zoos, including San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which claims more than 100 calves born.

As a species, the northern white rhinoceros has fared much worse. There are now only two in existence on the planet and they are on a nature reserve in central Kenya, under protection of armed guards, according to a story from CNN.

Baba, one of the oldest giraffes in the U.S., dies

News of the birth of the rhino calf follows the recent death of Baba, one of two reticulated giraffes at the zoo (along with her son Jabari) and a foundational member of the zoo’s giraffe heard.

Baba was euthanized Nov. 21 due to “progressing age-related health conditions,” the zoo said in a statement .

Baba had been at the zoo for three decades and, at 31 years old was one of the oldest reticulated giraffes in the United States. She lived a decade beyond the life expectancy for a female giraffe under human care, according to the zoo. She was known to make frequent appearances at the giraffe feeding station, “creating connections with guests, and often using her charm to get more lettuce,” the zoo said.

“Our Animal Care and Veterinary Teams have worked together over the years to manage Baba’s advancing arthritis through a combination of medications, treatments, and novel therapies,” said Dr. Audrey Siegrist, the Zoo’s Senior Director of Veterinary Services. “In the last few days, it became clear that her arthritis had progressed to the point that we could no longer prevent further pain. We made the difficult but compassionate decision to humanely euthanize Baba while she was surrounded by her herd and care givers. We will miss her tremendously.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 5:30 AM.