It was a day full of celebrations at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert.

Nia the rhino celebrated her fourth birthday and we were there to capture all the excitement.

Crowds gathered to join in the celebration this morning. The Rhino Savanna crew created a special cake made with Nia’s favorite treats including: watermelon, carrots and lettuce.

Nia has been working at the Living Desert Zoo since October of last year.

Rhino Savanna’s supervisor, Lucas Barmeyer, tells us: “She would be at the age where she would have naturally separated from her mother in the wild. So she would be exploring the world on her own for the first time without the comfort of mom. or having, you know, protection. So they’re a little more calculated and more strategic.”

Nia the rhino has yet another year of growth.

She weighs about a thousand pounds less than an adult rhino.

Rio shares the Rhino Savanna with another male rhino, Jaali and the zoo hope to have a bigger rhino family in the coming years.