Waterford boy wins naming competition for new rhino at Fota Wildlife Park

A boy from County Waterford has won a naming competition for the new rhino at Fota Wildlife Park.

AJ Carroll from Dunmore East has been announced as the winner of the competition.

Fota Wildlife Park has confirmed that the male Indian rhinoceros calf has been named Bondhi.

The name Bodhi, of Sanskrit origin, which means ‘awakening’ or ‘enlightenment’, was suggested by AJ.

The nine-year-old’s entry was selected from hundreds of suggestions, winning his family an annual pass to Fota Wildlife Park.

Born on July 13 to mother Maya and father Jamil, Bodhi is only the second Indian rhinoceros ever born in Ireland.

The Indian rhinoceros, also known as the greater one-horned rhinoceros, is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with an estimated 4,000 individuals remaining in the wild.

Bodhi's birth follows a summer of conservation breeding successes at Fota Wildlife Park, including the arrival of a Nubian giraffe calf, two Asian lion cubs, a François' langur monkey, two Sumatran tiger cubs, two European bison calves and two Kafue lechwe calves.

Alongside the recent animal arrivals, Fota Wildlife Park will host a programme of family-friendly Halloween activities during the October midterm.

From Saturday, 24 October to Sunday, 1 November, families visiting the Park can take part in a Halloween poster trail inspired by the Púca, the shape-shifting creature of Irish folklore.

The mischievous Púca has taken on the forms of different animals throughout Fota Wildlife Park.

Visitors can follow the Púca Trail, made up of posters with riddles and clues dotted around the 100-acre Park, identifying each animal form before uncovering the final animal disguise.

Once they have solved the mystery, participants can submit their answers at the Serengeti Shop to be in with a chance of winning a Fota Wildlife Park Conservation Annual Pass.

Fota Wildlife Park's award-winning Education Team will also host The Science of Samhain, a public engagement event taking place at the Education, Conservation and Research Centre from 11am to 4pm, Thursday, October 29 to Sunday, November 1.

The interactive event will feature Halloween themed arts and crafts, educational stands and opportunities for visitors of all ages to discover the real-life science behind some Halloween related species and myths.

Visitors can also step into the auditorium for a spooky storytelling experience, twice daily from Thursday, October 29 to Sunday, November 1 at 12.30pm and 1.30pm, with each session lasting approximately 20 minutes.

Face painting will also be available in the Atrium from 12 noon to 2pm, Thursday, October 29 to Sunday, November 1.

In addition to the mid-term activities, visitors can learn more about the animals cared for at Fota Wildlife Park through the park's daily animal feeding times schedule.