Memphis Zoo - White Rhino Paddock

July 2008. Bare and old.

Horrible exhibit that is not suitable for White Rhinos

The Memphis Zoo might be one of the worst zoos in North America for pachyderms, as the hippo, rhino and elephant paddocks are all tiny and truly terrible. However, at least the hippos are receving a brand new exhibit in 2010.

Although not a huge improvement

The zoo recently renovated the exhibit to combine the existing elephant yard with the rhino area to create a larger exhibit

The rhino is now indisde during the day and has access to the exhibit at night when the elephants are brought inside

The zoo should send their rhino(s) to another AZA-accredited zoo so that the elephants have full range of the bare paddocks. Locking huge mammals indoors for 50% of their life is not the best solution in my mind.

Why not? The elephants probably like it better indoors anyway. Most zoo animals do. Besides the rhino that lives there is extremely old so it would probably not be a good idea to move her.

The next time I'm at the Woodland Park Zoo I'll tell the keepers that they better keep the jaguars away from their gorgeous exhibit because they probably prefer being locked indoors anway. (Just teasing BlackRhino) If the white rhino is old then fair enough, but at the end of the day the Memphis Zoo's elephant enclosure is still terribly disappointing for a major zoo.

I agree the enclosure is disappointing, but you would be very surprised at how many animals love their indoor areas.

Actually, I was reading on the zoo website (Very sads news about the baby elephant, check the USA subforums) and it said the schedule only applied uintil they find the Tombi the rhino a new home