Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch welcomed the birth of a female southern white rhinoceros named Truda on Nov. 17.

According to a news release, Truda was born weighing in at 125 pounds to female Helga and male Kutu.

Why it matters

Tiffany Soechting, marketing director for the wildlife ranch, said southern white rhino births in captivity are rare.

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch is one of 300 accredited zoological facilities in the U.S., and of those, fewer than 30 have successfully bred these rhinos, according to a news release.


She said Truda’s species is threatened in the wild, and their population is in a sharp decline due to poaching.

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch works closely with several international conservation centers, including the International Rhino Foundation. Soechting said everyone feels blessed to contribute to worldwide conservation efforts with the success of Truda’s breeding.

“To be part of that is huge, and to have a birth and be one of those facilities ... is huge,” Soechting said.

Check it out


Truda has spent a lot of time inside her enclosure. Wildlife Ranch visitors have the chance to see her right before the start of the Safari Drive-Thru.