ZSL Whipsnade Zoo The Whipsnade rhino record

K

Kifaru Bwana

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
To my great surprise nothing much is being posted on the great white rhino track record of Whipsnade.

Now, that really is a shame and I would love to keep track of one of the few old white rhino herds that has rekindled itself (and not bitten the dust like the San Diego WAP rhino with all F1/F2 flat-liners.

In recent months their herd seems to have dwindled somewhat .... with only 3.4 recorded on ISIS. Bull Nsiswa is a dead cert + the 2 bull calves born to Nowana and Clara. Now in the female department it is much more confusing: Of late there had been good old FF Caroline and Trio (whom I both suspect are no longer breeding and rather elderly), the breeding cows Nowana, Clara and Mikumi and the non-breeding female Makolibu (for some magical mystifying reason-I suppose she is the one to be moved on soonish). It appears that the elderly cows may now have beating the dust or that some of the original cows have been moved on. Any perspective or lead on this would be nicely appreciated ....!!!!???

A cause for concern may be that the last 7-8 births at Whipsnade have been predominantly bulls for no apparent logical reason ....

I hope someone in the know locally may clarify things for us! :)
 
If that person in the know, could also share.

Do White Rhinos live in large groups in the wild. As they are at times kept in captivity? Are they a heard animal?

Social make up?
 
there are information labels for each adult individual in their small herd, detailing birth date, source, identification marks etc. Anyone who visits Whipsnade shortly could collect this data for you.

I know the oldest female 'Caroline' is the only wildcaught female left from the original import. She was still there last summer.
 
zooman said:
If that person in the know, could also share.

Do White Rhinos live in large groups in the wild. As they are at times kept in captivity? Are they a heard animal?

Social make up?
Click to expand...

as far as im aware, they live in heards of about a dominante male, 3-4 females and calves, and sometime 1 or 2 juvinile males
 
Pertinax said:
there are information labels for each adult individual in their small herd, detailing birth date, source, identification marks etc. Anyone who visits Whipsnade shortly could collect this data for you.

I know the oldest female 'Caroline' is the only wildcaught female left from the original import. She was still there last summer.
Click to expand...

Caroline would be one old Rhino, That group of 20 was imported in 1970 and joined the pair already at Whipsnade
 
Cat-Man said:
as far as im aware, they live in heards of about a dominante male, 3-4 females and calves, and sometime 1 or 2 juvinile males
Click to expand...

Thanks cat-man for sharing.
 
Cat-Man said:
as far as im aware, they live in heards of about a dominante male, 3-4 females and calves, and sometime 1 or 2 juvinile males
Click to expand...

Males are territorial and generally solitary. Subadult males tend to be "satellites" and reside within a mature bull's territory submissively. Females aggregate in small groups (usually a female and her calves or a few subadult females) that have a home range that overlaps with various male territories. However, you may often see several of these small groups near each other creating a large herd.
 
QUOTE: {In recent months their herd seems to have dwindled somewhat .... with only 3.4 recorded on ISIS. Bull Nsiswa is a dead cert + the 2 bull calves born to Nowana and Clara. Now in the female department it is much more confusing: Of late there had been good old FF Caroline and Trio (whom I both suspect are no longer breeding and rather elderly), the breeding cows Nowana, Clara and Mikumi and the non-breeding female Makolibu (for some magical mystifying reason-I suppose she is the one to be moved on soonish). It appears that the elderly cows may now have beating the dust or that some of the original cows have been moved on. Any perspective or lead on this would be nicely appreciated ....!!!!???} UNQUOTE

Can someone please now give me all the latest details (before we delve into other issues) on the current rhino herd?

Pertinax mailed Caroline may still be alive. Four females and who are they?
 
I visited the Zoo last week and i can definatley remember Clara,Mikumi and Nowana there, aswell as 2 calves I cant remember a 4th female but i may of missed her. Nsiswa as you say is still there and is a very impressive male too!
Hope this helps
Regards
 
I'm sure Caroline is still there too, I remember thinking how impressive the enclosure would look with 20 Rhinos after reading about the import on her information sign.
 
They where originally kept where the Asian Elephants/Passage thru Asia bit is with the train going through - orignally called the Umfolzi Railway named after where the group of Rhinos came from ,but they changed to where they are now in the mid 1980's.
I agree it would of looked fantastic.
Regards
 
I saw them in that paddock from the train that went through the exhibit, at first the railway track only went half way into the exhibit and then had to reverse back out again, it was about a year or two later that they extended the railway to run completely through and then link up into a circuit, the White rhino winter house was quite large which saw many babies born there. The paddock next to the rhinos on the train circuit contained Eland and Zebra. From what I can remember the adult bull of the pair already living there became the "breeding" male of the herd.
 
Riziki said:
I visited the Zoo last week and i can definatley remember Clara,Mikumi and Nowana there, aswell as 2 calves I cant remember a 4th female but i may of missed her. Nsiswa as you say is still there and is a very impressive male too!
Hope this helps
Regards
Click to expand...

Much obliged Riziki!

Both Clara and Nowana are the females with calves (1 bull end 2007, 1 bull early 2008). Not sure about a pregnancy with Mikumi (probably). Nsiswa is the undisputed breeding bull.

If the 1970 cow Caroline is still alive as several have testified here, it inferst that Whipsnade born cow Trio (b. 1976) has left or is deceased and that Whipsnade born cow Makolibu (b. 1994) is out.


In early 2008 the ISIS data show 2.6 and now it has gone up/down to 3.4 instead. So, something must have happened?!!!

The mystery continues .... (but only by 1/2)!

K.B.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
If the 1970 cow Caroline is still alive as several have testified here, it inferst that Whipsnade born cow Trio (b. 1976) has left or is deceased and that Whipsnade born cow Makolibu (b. 1994) is out.
Click to expand...

Whipsnade are efficient about removing individual 'identity' labels when an animal dies, so if Caroline's info label is there, then she is too. Not sure about Trio though.
 
MARK said:
From what I can remember the adult bull of the pair already living there became the "breeding" male of the herd.
Click to expand...

If I remember rightly the original pair were Ben and Mashobeni(who replaced the original London female Bebe) which were transferred from London Zoo. I thought that Ben was a Northern White. If he bred at Whipsnade did he infuse Northern blood into the group?

Or were the original Whipsnade pair NOT the same pair as used to be at London Zoo? Now I am thoroughly confused....:confused::confused:
 
I think Whipsnade had their own pair of White rhino, along with one pair of Black rhino and a pair of Indian rhino at that time, I am sure I had seen white rhino there before the big group arrived from South Africa
 
MARK said:
I think Whipsnade had their own pair of White rhino, along with one pair of Black rhino and a pair of Indian rhino at that time, I am sure I had seen white rhino there before the big group arrived from South Africa
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm sure your right. I was getting confused(memory..).The Whipsnade pairs of Blacks and the Whites lived in the purpose built 'twinned' enclosures with primitive indoor sheds, which nowadays have the Gaur and until recently the Indian rhinos( old Roopa is still in there AFAIK)

At the same time London had their own pairs of Blacks and Whites too, in far more palatial(but cramped!)surroundings. I can't remember what happened to London's Whites but I think the (Northern) bull 'Ben' was exported.
 
Ben went to the group of northern white rhinos at Dvur Kralove, and the female went to the now closed Glasgow zoo
 
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