Bill, a male southern white rhino who has called Riverbanks Zoo home for years, is packing up for a new address as part of a national effort to keep his species genetically diverse. Zoo officials say the transfer is tied to the White Rhino Species Survival Plan, and while an exact departure date hasn't been locked in, staff are encouraging Columbia residents to come say their goodbyes in the coming weeks.
According to The State, Bill will soon move on to another Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited facility, with the transfer part of the broader species survival initiative. Zoo officials say the goal of that plan is to increase genetic diversity in the rhino population, according to WIS-TV. The Post and Courier reports Bill is expected to leave the zoo by mid-November, heading to another AZA-accredited zoo to assist with breeding, per the zoo's announcement.
A Calm Presence Known for Blood Plasma Donations
Born Aug. 29, 2004, Bill isn't new to long-distance moves. He lived at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York, starting in 2007 before relocating to Columbia, according to 13WHAM. At Riverbanks, he built a reputation as an easygoing animal willing to engage with his care team and visitors, the zoo has said. Keeper Codyrose Bowen described him in similarly relaxed terms, noting the same report states his personality is “very calm and easygoing, and he loves maximizing his relaxation.”
That temperament made Bill a standout participant in the zoo's blood plasma donation program. Riverbanks reported that by the summer of 2023, he had progressed from routine blood draws to full plasma collection, with staff gathering more than 78 vials of plasma that year. The zoo expects him to continue donating plasma at his new home, and Riverbanks staff plan to train his incoming care team in the proper techniques so the practice continues uninterrupted.
Preparing Bill and Waiting on a Replacement
Riverbanks says Bill is receiving preparation and training sessions designed to make the move as low-stress as possible, and that he'll receive the same standard of care at his new facility. Before he goes, zoo officials have invited the community to visit and say goodbye. Bill was one of three southern white rhinos at Riverbanks as of a September zoo Instagram post, and two of his rhino companions, Kande and Winnifred, will remain in Columbia after his departure.
Once Bill leaves, Riverbanks' animal care team will be waiting on the Species Survival Plan to select a new male rhino to join the zoo's remaining rhinos, the station's report notes. The southern white rhino is classified as vulnerable to endangerment, according to an Association of Zoos and Aquariums fact sheet, which also explains why programs like this one matter: female rhinos may select among breeding partners, a behavior the fact sheet says increases genetic diversity within the species. Breeding leads to a single calf after roughly 16 months of gestation, per the same fact sheet, and outside courtship and breeding periods, male southern white rhinos are typically solitary.
Not Riverbanks' First Species-Survival Send-Off
Bill's departure echoes another recent transfer at the zoo. Riverbanks announced that lion sisters Thabisa and Lindelani departed on Nov. 4, 2025, for another AZA-accredited organization as part of a conservation pairing, with the zoo crediting the pair for raising cubs whose influence extended to accredited zoos nationwide. It's a reminder that Bill's move fits into a pattern of Riverbanks animals being shuffled between accredited institutions in service of species-wide breeding goals, even as it means saying an early goodbye to a familiar face.
