PREVIEW

Staff at Knowsley Safari near Liverpool will be celebrating an extra special Mother’s Day on 10 March as one of the park’s Southern white rhinos, Bayami, has given birth to a new calf.
The female calf was born at 11.32am on Monday 12 February and mother and baby are doing well.
Southern white rhino have been brought back from the brink of extinction yet are still under threat from poaching in South Africa and the current white rhino population is around 17,000 - so the birth at Knowsley Safari is extra special. Knowsley Safari has one of the largest white rhino crashes in the UK, and their breeding helps to protect this rare and vulnerable species.
Mother and father, Bayami and Shaka, are rhino celebrities having found fame on Channel 4’s hit TV series Secret Life of the Safari Park, which aired on TV in January and February of this year.
In episode six, filmed back in Autumn 2022, viewers saw Shaka attempting to mate with Bayami. What viewers didn’t find out is that it was a success, and the birth has come after a 16-month pregnancy.
Chris Smart, Animal Operations Manager at Knowsley Safari, also starred in the six-part series with the white rhinos.


She said: “We can’t think of a better way to mark the addition of another beautiful calf to the world’s dwindling southern white rhino population than to celebrate motherhood with our Mother’s Day free day out offer. We’re sure they’ll love the rhinos and the multitude of other animals and activities the safari has to offer.”

To celebrate the birth, on Mother’s Day weekend one adult per car can enjoy the safari free of charge when they’re with a full-paying child. It means mum could be treated to a wild adventure or even given the day off for dad to spoil the kids instead.