White Oak Conservation Center 4 Species of Rhino

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okapikpr

Well-Known Member
Recently, Harapan, a Sumatran Rhinoceros, arrived at White Oak Conservation Center. He is settling in nicely and still in quarantine. Soon a new enclosure will be built for him and future rhinos. Currently he is in a renovated rhino barn and corral that provides plenty of shade and more room than what he had back in Cincinnati.

This new addtion makes White Oak Conservation Center the only facility in the world with 4 species of rhino, along with our Southern Black, Southern White, and Indian Rhinoceros. Does anyone know of any zoo that has held this distinction before?
 
I think a few of us owe okapikpr an apology, now you know who you are (lol)
So plans are in full swing to create a second breeding pair in the U.S, this is great news, where will a female be sourced from okapikpr?
 
Wow that's amazing. The closest I can think of is when the Zoological Society of San Diego had four species of rhinos between its two campuses in the 90's.

I offer my appologies to snowleopard and okapikpr for my sarcasm and skepticism. (Although I was close, Sumatran rhinos are pretty woolly)
 
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Not to worry, I was actually surprised how many people would deny the fact rather than speculate.

As for your comments Ituri, I cant legally discuss our dinosaur programs and collection..oops!:p
 
Zebraduiker said this on a thread about London Zoo
London Regent's Park Zoo was the only zoo in the world, who has kept four species of rhinos at the same time ! Between 1875 and 1885 they kept indian,javan,sumatran and black rhinos. ( the first white rhinos to a zoo in the world came in 1950 to Antwerp )
Click to expand...
 
Really! I thought a zoo with 4 rhino species would have occured more, especially for some of those european zoos. This distinction is a lot more cooler now!
 
Congratulation okapikpr to the fourth rhino species, but I will not visit White Oak, until the collection is complete, Ha,Ha,Ha.

Itw as very hard for zoos in formely time sto hold more than one rhinos species, most of the big pachyderm buildings in germany were build to hous eonly one elphant,one rhino,one hippo and maybe one tapir. I think, Berlin was the fisrt geramn zoos, who has kept two species of rhinos at teh same time in the 1872 opened huge"Elefantenpagode". I will post a picture of this elephant house in the gallery. At this time, tehy kept a black, and an indian rhino unti the death of the black. In 1872, tehy kept for a few month a suamtran rhino,which came from London to Berlin. Maybe they kept also an javan rhino, but some experts belive this animal was just a young indinan rhino. For a long time, the zoos has kept only one rhino, an indian, until 1927 another black came from east africa to Berlin. It was not easy to get rhinos,e specially balck one, te were a bigger rarity than the indian rhinos. Rhinos were very expensive and needed very safe exhibits and only a few of the bigger zoos could keep them.
 
Congratulation okapikpr to the fourth rhino species, but I will not visit White Oak, until the collection is complete, Ha,Ha,Ha.

Itw as very hard for zoos in formely time sto hold more than one rhinos species, most of the big pachyderm buildings in germany were build to hous eonly one elphant,one rhino,one hippo and maybe one tapir. I think, Berlin was the fisrt geramn zoos, who has kept two species of rhinos at teh same time in the 1872 opened huge"Elefantenpagode". I will post a picture of this elephant house in the gallery. At this time, tehy kept a black, and an indian rhino unti the death of the black. In 1872, they kept for a few month a suamtran rhino,which came from London to Berlin. Maybe they kept also an javan rhino, but some experts belive this animal was just a young indinan rhino. For a long time, the zoos has kept only one rhino, an indian, until 1927 another black came from east africa to Berlin. It was not easy to get rhinos,especially black one, they were a bigger rarity than the indian rhinos. Rhinos were very expensive and needed very safe exhibits and only a few of the bigger zoos could keep them.
 
okapikpr said:
Recently, Harapan, a Sumatran Rhinoceros, arrived at White Oak Conservation Center. He is settling in nicely and still in quarantine. Soon a new enclosure will be built for him and future rhinos. Currently he is in a renovated rhino barn and corral that provides plenty of shade and more room than what he had back in Cincinnati.

This new addtion makes White Oak Conservation Center the only facility in the world with 4 species of rhino, along with our Southern Black, Southern White, and Indian Rhinoceros. Does anyone know of any zoo that has held this distinction before?
Click to expand...

Congrats again on a great feat! I genuinely hope that between Cincinnati, White Oak and Way Kambas coop will prosper for the benefit of captive ex situ Sumatran rhino breeding.

I think it is realistic to assume that some more Sumatran rhinos will be found in marginal areas that may well add to the captive population rather than be relocated into a well established resident population. With increasing pressue on their rainforest homes in southern Sumatra it is also rather likely that some Sumatran rhinos will venture far away from their rainforest habitat into conflict zones with human populations. The latest 2 wild additions to Way Kambas show that some of these Sumatrans are non-releasable as they have become attached to humans or adapted to living in sub-prime habitat ... It is sad, but also a great opportunity to bring the breeding programme on a higher setting.

That said, I think it is imperative that at least 2.2 new founders from the Sumatran subspecies should enter the captive population to make up a really healthy founder group. But, I suppose that husbandry issues still need to be addressed in the captive environment. Ample shade, a foresty area (well you have that aplenty at White Oak) and mudbath structures are all essentials for this beautiful rhino taxon.
 
he's awesome! In a book on Bornean mammals I have it says that you can tell a rhino wallow by the gouge marks from the horn, and now I can see exactly how that is done.

P.S. was that him making those funny noises? Not at all what I would have expected.
 
Does anyone else think its time to bring 1.1 into the sumatran rhino population?

A male for the female calf at Cincinnati Zoo and female for either one of the males?
 
ISIS lists Cincy at 1.2. The problem especially with Cincinnati is space. I think okapikpr mentioned they're focusing on husbandry with their male as is. IMO, it's a good idea, of course...but I don't know how well the other factors that play into it would work.
 
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