Meet Timu, the Eastern Black Rhino Who Swapped a Wisconsin Zoo for Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Keep your eyes peeled on your next safari truck ride. Disney's Animal Kingdom has a new eastern black rhino named Timu, and she has already traded Wisconsin winters for the savanna.

Disney announced the newcomer on Instagram on the morning of Friday, October 2, according to Laughing Place. WDWMagic reports that Timu "is now out on the savanna at Disney's Animal Kingdom," and that guests may catch a glimpse of her from a Kilimanjaro Safaris truck.

Timu at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Photo: Disney, via WDWMagic

From Racine to the savanna

Timu is not a first-time zoo resident. Laughing Place reports she came to Animal Kingdom from the Racine Zoo in Wisconsin under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan, which moves animals between accredited zoos to help breed endangered species.

The Racine side of the story surfaced back in May. On May 11, WTMJ reported that the Racine Zoo had announced its female eastern black rhino Timu had been transferred to another AZA-accredited facility on a breeding recommendation from the plan. The zoo did not name the destination at the time. It did say Timu was heading to "a facility with a strong history of successful rhino breeding," and that staff worked with the receiving zoo on specialized training and diet adjustments to prepare her for the move.

She had been a fixture in Racine for a long time. According to WTMJ, "Timu first arrived at the Racine Zoo in 2003 and became a longtime favorite among visitors." For much of that stretch she lived alongside another rhino, Kianga, who had moved to the Milwaukee County Zoo the previous fall.

Timu browsing on leafy branches. Photo: Disney, via WDWMagic

Why one rhino matters

Eastern black rhinos count as critically endangered in the wild, and Racine Zoo officials say wild numbers have fallen sharply in recent decades, mainly because of poaching for rhino horn, according to WTMJ. As WDWMagic puts it, "every birth or addition matters for the population." The outlet also points to Animal Kingdom's long involvement in conserving the species.

Disney has not said anything we could find about breeding plans for Timu, and her exact arrival date in Florida has not been shared, so we will not guess at either.

How to see her: Kilimanjaro Safaris in Africa at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Animals on the savanna are not always close to the road, so a sighting is never guaranteed, but now Timu is on the list of rhinos to look for.

Sources

• WDWMagic, Meet Timu, the Newest Eastern Black Rhino at Disney's Animal Kingdom
• Laughing Place, A New Black Rhino Has Joined Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney's Animal Kingdom
• WTMJ, Racine Zoo says goodbye to longtime Rhino Timu

Image credits: Disney, via WDWMagic (both images).