Denver Zoo welcomes its first southern white rhinos in 130 years

Two young males, Mkuu and Viazi, arrived from Tampa under a Species Survival Plan. They are the first southern white rhinos at the zoo in 130 years.

Verified · Source: The Denver PostOct 11, 2026 · 1 min read

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A southern white rhinoceros lying in green grass, with a long front horn — Illustrative photo of a southern white rhinoceros at Cotswold Wildlife Park in England. This is not Mkuu or Viazi at the Denver Zoo. Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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The Denver Zoo has southern white rhinos in its care for the first time in 130 years. The Denver Post reported that two young males, Mkuu and Viazi, came from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and ZooTampa through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan. Mkuu's name means "prince." Viazi's means "potatoes."

Both animals are males, so this is not a breeding pair and not a birth announcement. The survival plan moves rhinos among accredited zoos to keep a healthy population in human care. Southern white rhinos remain threatened in the wild. What changed in Denver is that the zoo now has these two.