A Kansas zoo named an adorable baby rhino after Chiefs center Creed Humphrey
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- Rolling Hills Zoo welcomed a male southern white rhino calf on Feb. 8, 2026.
- Zoo named the calf Creed after Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey.
- Zoo highlighted conservation concerns: 9.8% population decline by 2025.
The Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina, Kansas, was tickled pink to announce the arrival of a male southern white rhinoceros calf, which was born on Feb. 8, 2026.
“This birth is not only a joyful milestone for Rolling Hills Zoo, but also an important contribution to the conservation of this incredible species,” Mark Echevarria, the zoo’s curator, said in a news release on Instagram. “Every calf born under AZA’s Species Survival Plan represents hope for the future of white rhinos and long-term sustainability of the animals within AZA facilities, while also maintaining their genetic diversity. Rolling Hills Zoo is very proud to be a part of and contributing to that mission.”
The zoo didn’t give the baby rhino a name until last week, when they announced he would be called Creed.
You may wonder if that’s a nod to the Rocky movies (with Apollo and Adonis Creed), or maybe Creed Bratton from “The Office.” But, nope, the kid rhino was named after the Chiefs center, Creed Humphrey.
On Tuesday, the zoo shared photos and a video of Humphrey and his girlfriend Ana Demmer meeting Creed.
The zoo said there aren’t many southern white rhinos left in the world.
“Second only to the elephant in size, the southern white rhino is a conservation icon that famously bounced back from the brink of extinction,” the zoo wrote on Instagram. “However, that ‘comeback story’ is facing a difficult new chapter due to a surge in poaching, especially in South Africa. As of 2025, the population has seen a 9.8% decline, leaving roughly 15,752 individuals in protected areas.”
Here are more photos and videos of Creed.
This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 12:09 PM.
