ASHEBORO, N.C. — The North Carolina Zoo announced Monday a name for its second baby rhino born this year.
The female southern white rhino, born at the Zoo on February 24, was named "Jojo." First Lady of North Carolina Kristin Cooper made the name announcement in a video.
Jojo's name was chosen by the public in an online poll.
The Zoo said “Jojo” (pronounced joe-joe) is named after rhino keeper Joseph “Jojo” Wachira of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Wachira was one of the last caretakers of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, featured in the documentary film “Kifaru.”
Wachira’s connection to North Carolina began when he visited the RiverRun International Film Festival in 2019 with North Carolina-based director Andrew Brown for the showing of “Kifaru” in Winston-Salem.
When notified of the name choice, Wachira was “deeply honored to hear the news – this is what I believe in and fight for every day – saving rhinos.”
These are the names voters could choose from:
- Rubybelle (ru-bee-bell): name of a young female rhino rescued after her mother was poached in South Africa
- Etosha (ee-toe-sha): for Etosha National Park in Namibia where the Zoo has an anti-poaching conservation program.
- Jojo (joe-joe): one of the keepers of rhino Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Jojo and Sudan’s story was featured in the documentary movie "Kifaru" which showed at RiverRun International Film Festival in 2019.
- Kendi (ken-dee): African origin – means loved one in Swahili