A southern white rhinoceros calf was born at Safari West on the morning of Tuesday, July 22, 2025, the day Ozzy Osbourne died. The Santa Rosa wildlife preserve named him Ozzy.
His mother is Eesha, who is 20. His father is Ongava, 29. He has an older brother, Otto, born at Safari West on April 2, 2023.
Two calves in two years
Consecutive calves from the same pair is a meaningful result for a species whose pregnancies run about 16 months. Southern white rhinos are the most numerous of the five rhino species and still the ones poachers target hardest, for horn that is chemically no different from a fingernail.
“This is a joyful moment for Safari West,” said founder Nancy Lang. “Every rhino birth inspires hope and underscores the importance of protecting these extraordinary animals.”
Safari West’s rhino program is tied into the wider zoo community rather than run in isolation. White rhino births are still uncommon enough that each one gets counted: Fresno Chaffee Zoo introduced its fifth calf in January 2026.
“The Indianapolis Zoo celebrates this new southern white rhinoceros calf, which is a win for the global conservation efforts of this amazing animal,” said Rob Shumaker, the Indianapolis Zoo’s president.
Seeing him
Safari West runs on guided tours through the hills above Santa Rosa, and the preserve is explicit that the animals decide how much of themselves guests get to see.
“We provide our animals with choice and control over where they go in their habitats, if they are visible to guests on tour and if they want to interact during animal encounters,” rhino keeper Erika Defer said. Whether Ozzy turns up on a rhino encounter depends on whether Eesha is comfortable with it that day, as her keepers judge it.
That is the trade the preserve makes on purpose: fewer guaranteed sightings, in exchange for animals that are choosing to be there.
