It's World Rhino Day and here at Australia Zoo we're celebrating our herd of magnificent southern white rhinos who live on our beautiful African Savannah! While our southern white rhinos are greyish - brown in colour, their name actually comes from a misinterpretation of the Afrikaans word ‘weit' meaning wide, that was used to describe the shape of their lips! How cool is that?! With so many special and interesting facts to share, World Rhino Day is about building awareness around the importance of saving the five remaining species of rhinoceros we have in the world today. Historically, poaching and land clearing have been the main reasons for their status as a Critically Endangered species; now the primary threat to rhinos is being hunted for the Asian medicine market. Rhino horn is highly valued on the black market, however it's been proven to have no medicinal worth. There are only four Northern white rhinos left in the entire world and while their cousins here at Australia Zoo are seen more abundantly, education and organisations that fight for their conservation are the only hope for all species of rhino. The Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors continue to support rhino conservation in partnership with Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, Africa (OPC). Home to over 100 highly endangered black and white rhinos, OPC has the largest population of eastern black rhinos in the world. It is our aim to help strengthen the security measures which will protect these rhinos. You can do your part too! To support World Rhino Day, book an animal encounter with our beautiful rhinos! A rhino experience at Australia Zoo is an unforgettable experience where guests are able to pat these magnificent animals and learn all about them from their keepers. The money raised through encounters is donated directly to OPC's rhino conservation program in Africa, fighting to save this mighty species. To book an encounter, click here.