How do zoos keep certain animals such as black rhinos from reproducing?

[rredsfan4]

How do they prevent unwanted pregnancies? Do they keep the males and females separate during certain times of the month? If so, what does a female rhinoceros' cycle look like?

Obviously a lot of zoos would like their rhinos to reproduce but not my local zoo.

 

[elefante]

How do they prevent unwanted pregnancies? Do they keep the males and females separate during certain times of the month? If so, what does a female rhinoceros' cycle look like?

Obviously a lot of zoos would like their rhinos to reproduce but not my local zoo.

I would imagine they would just keep them separate during certain times of the year. I think most animals only go into heat at certain times of the year. With other animals if they aren't breeding them I would guess they would spay and neuter.

 

[dean]

They can also give them contraceptives, I think a lot of lionesses are on some form of contraceptive implanted under the skin.

 

[CambsVet]

I would imagine that hormonal treatments can be given to prevent cycling, either in implant, injection or pill form. That however is a guess

 

[gentle lemur]

Permanent methods such as castration of males are also used (obviously only for individuals which will not be required for future breeding).
Perhaps it would be appropriate to add that it would be unusual to want to stop black rhinos from breeding - this is an increasingly endangered species which is not breeding particularly well in zoos.

Alan

 

[Pertinax]

Also, most Black Rhino are housed seperately from each other, at least in their indoor accomodation, so its not difficult to keep them apart if required to prevent breeding, but that is fairly unusual.

 

[tschandler71]

Well when Birmingham had Ricko they only kept one because of behavior/space requirements but I would think zoos would want Black Rhino to reproduce.

 

[Pertinax]

Black rhino can be notoriously difficult to introduce to each other- they need large amounts of space to let off steam during introductions or courtship, particularl where the two animals aren't familiar with each other. Some Zoos with very small paddocks may find it too difficult and thereore unable to keep two. More space is the answer.

 

[Rick J]

Primates - females here in Jersey get implanted with a sub-scapular contraceptive 'rod'... not much bigger than a grain of rice. Orangutan Matriarch 'Gina' is on the pill, so to speak, mainly as her son Jaya is at the age where he is feeling his hormones, and tries to mate her from time to time (fairly often).

Otherwise, it's group management.