Hungry Black Rhino Squishes a Juicy Ripe Watermelon

A beautiful black rhino named Jozi hungrily dug into the juicy goodness of a ripe watermelon on a sunny day at the Oregon Zoo. Jozi used her powerful jaws and horn to squish past the skin and enjoy the fruit’s sweet flesh.

Best squishes from Jozi

Jozi, who is a member of a highly endangered species, joined the zoo in 2021 as an ambassador animal. The hope is that she and another black rhino named King will help with repopulation efforts.

Jozi and King belong to the eastern subspecies of black rhinoceros, which is considered critically endangered. In 2011, the western subspecies of black rhino was declared extinct. …Poaching and the illegal wildlife trade have wiped out 96% of the world’s black rhino population. In South Africa alone, we’re losing almost a rhino a day. Hopefully, we can help inspire a new chapter in the conservation of this incredible species

King also enjoyed his own watermelon.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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