01/30/2026
White rhinoceros in Khama Rhino Sanctuary, Botswana
As this image shows, the white rhino is not really white; it’s more of a grayish color. A mistranslation may have given rise to the name. The story goes that Dutch speakers (and later, Afrikaans speakers) in South Africa used the word 'wijd' to describe the rhinos, which English speakers understood to mean 'white.' Instead, 'wijd' means 'wide' in English, and was meant to describe not the color of the rhino, but the shape of its mouth, which is wider than the mouths of other rhino species.
Whether or not the story is true, some prefer to call it the 'square-lipped rhinoceros' rather than the white rhinoceros. Poaching and trophy hunting take a toll on all rhino populations. Zoos and wildlife preserves are working to educate people and save the magnificent animals from extinction. The Khama Rhino Sanctuary in Botswana, where our image was taken, provides a safe haven for white and black rhinos as well as other animal species.
