This Saturday from 10 a.m.–3 p.m., take the kids to the River’s Edge at the Saint Louis Zoo to celebrate World Rhino Day (which was officially yesterday, September 22). Families can make a wish for the zoo’s rhinos, Ajabu and Kati Rain, and post it for others to see; learn what it takes to be a “rhino scout” in Africa; chat with rhino keepers; and purchase paintings made by the rhinos.
The goal of World Rhino Day is to spread awareness of the five remaining species’ critically endangered status. The black and white rhino are found in Africa, while the one-horned, Sumatran, and Javan rhinos are found in Asia. According to the zoo’s website, the black rhino has suffered the most drastic decline: Between 1970 and 1992, its population dropped 96 percent.
Discover fun things to do with the family
Subscribe to the St. Louis Family newsletter for family-friendly things to do and news for local parents, sent every Monday.
The rhinos at the Saint Louis Zoo are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Black Rhino Species Survival Plan, which manages a genetically healthy population of black rhinos in North American zoos.
World Rhino Day has been celebrated at the zoo since 2013, and the zoo is expecting thousands of visitors this weekend. Activity booklets, souvenir wristbands, and bookmarks will be given out while supplies last.
