Indian rhinos in US zoos

The breeding group at the Wilds constitutes some of the rarer genetic lines in the SSP Indian rhino population. The recent addition of 2 female calves in the short space of 1 week and now a totally unrelated captive-born male (who does have a little time to go and grow before he is an astute and adult breeding bull) bodes well for the future in Ohio.

I guess our US-based forum posters can vouch for that one too! :D
 
Two more females calfs, thats really good news, when they are old enough for breeding they should boost the numbers at the wilds quite a bit
 
I suppose that the hard core rhino fans (like Mark, etc) will know this already...but the recent birth at the San Diego Wild Animal Park was apparently the 55th greater one-horned rhino born there. Holy smokes!! I received my weekly San Diego Zoo email update today and I couldn't believe how much success they've had. Are the numbers also very high for black and white rhinos?
 
I knew that they had bred over 50 of them but 55 is even better, Going of the top off my head now they bred more than 100 White rhino calfs a long time ago.

I am not sure how many Black rhinos they keep but as far as I know have never had big numbers of them, but I am sure the other hard core rhino fan "Jelle" would know that one, LOL
 
I remember the calf Lali born in late December 2005 was their no. 50. So, in between they have had 5 (3 each in 2006 and 1 in 2007).

You mentioned you got an e-mail update is that the webby thing or are you a member of the Zoological Society?

Regarding the black rhinos: for these they kept usually 2.2 or less, so breeding output has been average. They have since switched to southern black rhino Diceros bicornis minor, then coming back to eastern black rhino Diceros bicornis michaeli. The latter are a pair that have produced their first calf in 2004.

For white rhinos they hold the record with Whipsnade Wild Animal Park in number of births, but in the last decade breeding has stalled ...????? :confused: Very few of the captive-bred and now mature cows have actually bred themselves. It is now the subject of a major study on breeding behaviour and failure in captive-born white rhinos.
 
@jelle: I'm not a member of the Zoological Society, and it was simply the weekly email update that I received.

So the San Diego Wild Animal Park has produced over 100 white rhinos, 55 greater one-horned rhinos, and at least 20 or so black rhinos? It just goes to show what can happen with large herds, an enormous amount of space, and terrific genes.
 
snowleopard said:
@jelle: I'm not a member of the Zoological Society, and it was simply the weekly email update that I received.

So the San Diego Wild Animal Park has produced over 100 white rhinos, 55 greater one-horned rhinos, and at least 20 or so black rhinos? It just goes to show what can happen with large herds, an enormous amount of space, and terrific genes.
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The figures for black rhinos are incorrect. I wish they would have bred 20, sadly (lol) they have not. The better figure is probably 4-5 at the most.

Also the white rhino record of over 100, fails to take into account the production in the last decade .... From the latter perspective SD-Wild Animal Park now has a major issue with non-breeding captive-bron white rhino females ......!!!!
 
Going slightly off-topic...

Is it fair to assume that compared to the Indian and White rhinos, black rhinos don't seem to have bred regularly at parks which have success with the other two?

Whipsnade is acclaimed for it's white and indian rhinos, yet blacks have been phased out due to lack of success. I'm not sure of Dvur Kravlove's numbers and breeding rates though...
 
Jimmy just look at the breeding success Port Lypmne has had with the Black rhino species they have even sent some back to Africa
 
Mark, Port Lympne haven't kept (or at least bred) Indians and Whites though (to the best of my knowledge) which provides the counter argument to my statement.

They have soley focussed on blacks and have been immensely successful, whereas institutes like Whipsnade have 'failed' with the blacks...
 
Yes thats right Jimmy they have never kept whites or Indians but my point was that they have had huge success with the black rhinos
 
I probably didn't make myself clear in my original post (sorry!)

What I meant to say was institutes which keep Whites, Indians and Blacks struggle with breeding in the Black rhinos (San Diego, Whipsnade) whereas zoos which keep only Blacks do better (PL)...

My theory is probably dead in the water ;)
 
I guess Jimmy its all a matter of "focus" whipsnade have focused on the whites and so have the SD WAP as they also have done with the Indians, so PL have focused on only the Black rhino, guess its a matter of commitment and resources of each zoo
 
Often times Indian and White Rhinoceros can both be maintained in herds (whites more so than the indians). However the Black rhinos tend to be the most aggressive and often require seperate pens. It also doesnt help that the black species has two subspecies in captivity that are kept distinct and seperate. Thus they compete for space.
 
okapikpr said:
Often times Indian and White Rhinoceros can both be maintained in herds (whites more so than the indians). However the Black rhinos tend to be the most aggressive and often require seperate pens. It also doesnt help that the black species has two subspecies in captivity that are kept distinct and seperate. Thus they compete for space.
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I agree on that this optimum herd management strat is usually operated for Indians and whites by most if not all institutions.

I am not so sure though on whether strat for the blacks is really that optimal. Blacks in the wild usually consort in groups of females and youngsters and are perhaps less inclined to be socially abject as we might think in captivity. Certainly though, blacks are more boisterous and have more of a "character" than the other species. But just to give you an eye-opener (the most successful breeders in Europe, Dvur Kralove and Port Lympne keep their rhinos in multiple female associations and the young bulls are usually kept pairwise! Sure they have the room, but perhaps there is just ... that little more substance to it (lol). :eek:


On the 2 subspecies note: indeed both minor and michaeli subspecies compete for space, especially so in the SSP environment (EEP only has an offshoot of 1.1 in Frankfurt Zoo and the ASMP holds 7.6 at 2 institutions).

Anyhow, CZJimmy and Mark the European rhino questions are better suited to the Other European threads. Perhaps okapikpr might want to start a thread on the other 2 rhino species - whites and blacks - in the US/SSP?

Well, I sure am biased as I would do a runner to the nearest postbag if something new might come up ... (lol) ... rhinowise that is (I do have my limits). :D
 
I just got a san diego newsletter and it said that they have a new baby male born there, Jontu and he is the 55th born at wild animal park
 
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