Tara's Black Rhinoceros Research Journal

This blog contains all of my research for drawing and learning about the Black Rhinoceros. All of the links that these pictures and films come from can be found in each post. I warn you that some of them are very disturbing and not for young children. The future of the rhinoceros is very bleak. Unfortunately most or all of these rhinos are being raised in captivity or they are orphaned and living on reserves. Let's hope they can be saved and thrive again in the wild.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Entabeni Safari Conservancy in South Africa

Horn of plenty: American conservation student Alana Russell feeds the baby rhino at the conservation centre, which has four high-care rooms and an intensive care chamber where sick calves can receive 24-hour attention

TLC: American conservation student Alana Russell watches over the baby rhino. Almost 300 rhinos have been poached in South Africa since the start of the year, and in 2011, 448 were killed

Rhino it tastes good: Conservationist Karen Trendler says many calves successfully reared by conservationists will be released or donated to breeding programmes when they reach the age of three

The last straw: The four-month-old black baby rhino sniffs a hay bale at the Entabeni Safari Conservancy, one of the world's only dedicated orphanages for rhino calves

Playful: This four-month-old black baby rhino will receive the love and care of a team of workers dedicated to preventing the extinction of rhinos, who are poached for their horns

Baby rhino orphaned by poachers gets some TLC of the human kind

By CATHERINE EADE

PUBLISHED: 08:31 GMT, 8 August 2012 | UPDATED: 15:37 GMT, 8 August 2012

As black market demand for rhino horn soars, baby rhinos like this little four-month-old male calf are lucky to be alive.

But this lucky fellow is the first resident of one of the world’s rhino orphanages, and is now on the receiving end of some serious love and affection from a team of dedicated rhino carers.

The 100kg (220lb) youngster is being looked after at the Entabeni Safari Conservancy in South Africa, set up specifically to care for baby rhinos who have been orphaned by poachers.

South Africa has seen a huge rise in poaching in the last few years, as the demand for rhino horn soars.

Almost 300 rhinos have been poached in South Africa since the start of the year. In 2011, 448 were killed.

American conservation student Alana Russell, one of the orphan's carers at the centre, says the calf is 'just like you'd imagine any four-month-old to be. He'll want to feel your hair and your face with his lip and he's into everything he shouldn't be.'

The conservancy in Limpopo, 300 kms north east of Johannesburg, has four specially designed high-care rooms and one intensive care chamber where sick calves can receive 24-hour attention.

Inside the intensive care chamber an incubator, drips and surveillance cameras are all used to keep the precious youngsters alive and enable care 24/7.

Rhino horns have been prized for tens of centuries for their beautiful translucent color when carved into daggers, ceremonial cups, buttons, belt buckles, hair pins, and paperweights.

But it is their supposed healing properties which has fuelled the most poaching. All five of the world’s species of rhinoceros have been brought to the edge of extinction because of demand for these distinctive horns.

Conservationist Karen Trendler, known as ‘Mama Rhino’, is a veterinary nurse who has been working with rhinos for nearly 20 years.

She believes the sharp increase in poaching activity is unsustainable. 'You hate to sound alarmist, you hate to even consider that it could happen, but if the poaching continues at the current rate we could eventually see rhino go extinct,' she says. 'There are predictions that by 2015 we could have no rhino.'

Trendler cites the growing market for rhino horn in Asia and dealers who have been stockpiling reserves in case of extinction.

In addition to this, she says, there is corruption in government and among some organizations designed to protected endangered species obstructing genuine efforts.

Many calves successfully reared by conservationists at he centre will be released or donated to breeding programmes once they reach the age of three, Trendler explains.

‘If they can go back into the wild, if they can breed, if they can successfully rear their own calves, then it’s conservation,’ she said.

The use of the horn in the traditional medicine systems of many Asian countries, from Malaysia and South Korea to India and China, has remained a constant threat for the global population of rhinos.

Their use to cure a variety of ailments has led to decreases in several important populations.

In traditional Chinese Medicine the horn, which is shaved or ground into a powder and dissolved in boiling water, is used to treat fever, rheumatism, gout, and other disorders.

According to the 16th century Chinese pharmacist Li Shi Chen, the horn could also cure snakebites, hallucinations, typhoid, headaches, carbuncles, vomiting, food poisoning, and 'devil possession'.

Despite the popularity of the horn in traditional Asian medicines, there is scant evidence to support the plethora of claims about the healing properties of the horns, say researchers.

In 1990, researchers at Chinese University in Hong Kong found that large doses of rhino horn extract could slightly lower fever in rats, as could other types of horn, but the concentration given by a traditional Chinese medicine specialist are many many times lower than used in those experiments.

Sacremento Zoo

http://www.pinterest.com/sacramentozoo/

http://www.outdoorphoto.community/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=225576

Save The Rhino.org

http://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/rhino_population_figures

Krefeld Zoo, Germany - Hella Hallmann photography

Photo Credit to Hella Hallmann 2013

July 31, 2013

Rare Black Rhino Born at Zoo Krefeld

In Germany, Zoo Krefeld's Black Rhino couple, Nane and Usoni, gave birth to their fourth baby on July 13. The baby, whose gender is unknown, weighs almost 30 kg, or about 66 pounds. Zoo Krefeld is one of only five zoos in Germany that successfully breed the rare species.

Black Rhinos, also known as hook-lipped Rhinos, are native to central and eastern Africa. They are one of the largest species of Rhinos, with horns reaching up to 5 feet in length. Despite the name, Black Rhinos generally have light gray or white skin. The species is currently listed as Critically Endangered and is considered to be on the brink of extinction in the wild.

Photo Credit; 1,4,6,8 Hella Hallman; 2,3,5,7,9 Zoo Krefeld

San Diego Zoo Blog - Kim Janke 08/03/10

Kym has been a carnivore keeper for eight years, but recently switched to caring for herbivores and is writing a series about her new experiences. Read her previous post, New View of Enrichment.

BLACK RHINO CALF!

Kym Janke

– August 3, 2010

The Wild Animal Park welcomed a new baby boy to our family on July 19, 2010. An eastern black rhino calf was born to mother Lembi and father Jambia at approximately 12:45 p.m. All four subspecies of black rhinos are endangered, with an estimate of only 4,000 individuals remaining in the wild. Only 639 to 700 eastern black rhinos are thought to be left in Africa. This new little guy is the 14th black rhino to be born at the Wild Animal Park and the fourth to these proud parents!

I was next door leading a training session with an Indian rhino when a call came in from a Journey into Africatour guide informing us that we had a baby. It took me all of about 30 seconds to end the training session (sorry, Jontu!) and climb up onto the top of the black rhino compound to have a look! Although unsteady, the little guy was already up and following Mom around.

The gestation period for a black rhino is 15 to 16 months, so we had been expecting this new arrival for quite some time. Keepers separated the sire, Jambia (see post Making Friends with a Rhino), to a yard next to the exhibit a month ago to prepare for the birth. In the wild, a mother would keep her calf away from other rhinos, so we are allowing Lembi this same opportunity. Jambia has done well living with Mom and baby before, so he will most likely be let back into the exhibit in the next couple of months. Males do not take any part in the rearing of offspring, and Lembi will no doubt remind him of this! With her previous calves she has been quite protective, keeping Jambia at bay. No one wants to mess with a rhinoceros mother, rhinoceros fathers included! The time away from Jambia will also allow the calf bonding time with Mom, and, of course, growing time!

Keepers had been watching Lembi’s mammary development very closely. As with most animals, a rhino’s mammary glands will not swell with milk until a birth is imminent. For the past month we have been calling Lembi into a chute every day so we could get a good look at her “bag” (“keeper-speak” for mammary glands). Additionally, a photo of her bag was taken once a week so that we could track the development. Behaviorally, Lembi gave no indication of labor other than being slightly more aggressive the day of the birth. As the keepers fed and cleaned the exhibit, Lembi was much more active than usual, even charging the truck (but never making contact) a couple of times. Being as large as she was and with skin as thick as a rhino, it was impossible for us to see contractions, but I am sure any mother will tell you they don’t want to be bothered while in labor!

We gave Mom and son a day to settle and bond before we drove our vehicles back into the field exhibit again; all was calm. Lembi has been very cooperative and has come up to the training areas for biscuits and apples, little one in tow. We have not attempted to bring her into the chute where the scale is located since the birth but hope to do so in the next week. We don’t want to push things and want to be sure baby will follow Mom calmly. Not only would we like an updated post-pregnancy weight on Lembi, but we would love to record the weight of the calf.

Black rhino calves weigh an average of 80 pounds (36 kilograms) at birth, and we suspect he is right on target. By all accounts he seems very active and healthy. He is nursing well, follows Mom and imitates her every move as best he can on his pint-sized legs!

I will be sure to keep you posted on his progress and development. If you are out at the Wild Animal Park, be sure to take a tour on the Journey into Africa tram: you just might catch a glimpse of the cutest baby rhino ever!

Kym Nelson is a senior keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/2010/08/03/black-rhino-calf/

San Diego Zoo show off new baby black rhino

July 18, 2014 By NDG Staff No Comments

A 6-day-old black rhino is getting comfortable running and exploring his new surroundings at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The male calf, born on Saturday, July 12, weighs around 100 pounds and is staying close to mother Lembe, who is very protective. Lembe runs around her exhibit with her tail pointed up, a cue that lets her calf know that she is on alert and watching over him. The young calf trots closely behind, sometimes fumbling over his footing, as he is still getting comfortable keeping up with his mother.

This rhino birth is significant, as black rhinos are a critically endangered species with approximately 5,000 left in the wild. This is the 15^th black rhino calf born at the Safari Park and 5^th calf to Lembe and father Jambia.

http://northdallasgazette.com/2014/07/18/san-diego-zoo-show-off-new-baby-black-rhino/

San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park enjoys baby boom

Its captive breeding program has helped several endangered species, a curator says.

May 16, 2010|By Terry Gardner | Special to the Los Angeles Times

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A couple of mule deer steer clear of a black rhino calf while he runs around… (Tammy Spratt / San Diego…)

I admit it: I fall in love easily. First, it was with a 268-pound guy. Despite his youth, he was gray and wrinkled. But there were others as the day wore on. One had a face like a horse. Another was nice-enough looking, but that neck — oh, heavens, that neck. And yet another was way too fast for me.

Oh, baby.

Or, more correctly, babies. These were all animal babies — an African elephant, a zebra, a giraffe and a cheetah, respectively — I saw on a two-hour photo caravan at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. I developed innumerable critter crushes on my February visit, and with the advent of spring, there are even more objects of my affection.

San Diego Zoo director Charles Schroeder, a.k.a. "Mister Zoo," began dreaming of a new kind of zoo in 1959. He envisioned wide-open spaces that would provide a breeding ground to help populate the world's zoos and to avoid depopulating the wild. Schroeder theorized that happy animals with a lot of space — in this case, 1,800 acres — would be more apt to do what comes naturally.

Randy Rieches, curator of mammals at the Wild Animal Park, which opened in 1972, says captive breeding has helped several endangered species, not only here but at other facilities as well (see sidebar). Among the species and the progeny from the Wild Animal Park:

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/may/16/travel/la-tr-babies-20100516

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Theres a Rhino in My House - Part 4 of 4

There is a Rhino in my House is a documentary exploring the heartwarming story of John and Judy Travers, a Zimbabwean couple, at the Imire Safari Ranch, who have devoted their lives to saving from extinction one of the rarest mammals on Earth.

When a tragic turn of events leaves an adorable baby rhino, a tiny warthog and a hyper hyena orphaned, native Zimbabwean Judy Travers takes on the mammoth task of raising all three - in her home!

Imire Safari Ranch is one of the first farms to offer homes to young orphan elephants and has instigated research to improve handling and teaching elephants in order for them to be ridden and to work on farms.

Tucked away in Eastern Zimbabwe, Imire Safari Ranch is conservationists John and Judy's 11,000 acre game park and they have made it their lives' work to give rescued wild animals a home here.

This is the source for the story above. Follow link for reference to this amazing documentary which is a huge inspiration for Me! I couldn't picture the reality of living with a rhino baby until I watched this film for the first time in November 2014 on UTube.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/rhino-my-house/

http://www.channel5.com/shows/theres-a-rhino-in-my-house

http://www.oxfordscientificfilms.tv/portfolio-item/theres-a-rhino-in-my-house/

http://www.channel5.com/shows/theres-a-rhino-in-my-house/episodes/theres-a-rhino-in-my-house

http://press.discovery.com/asia-pacific/apl/programs/theres-rhino-my-house/

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/theres-a-rhino-in-my-house/SH011935500000

http://press.discovery.com/asia-pacific/apl/programs/theres-rhino-my-house/

http://imirevolunteers.org/wordpress/rhino-poaching-tatenda-the-orphaned-baby-rhino/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/denielle-sachs/there-is-a-rhino-in-my-be_b_1120594.html

The photos above have the links to the articles that accompany them.

Theres a Rhino in My House - Part 3 of 4

Theres a Rhino in My House - Part 2 of 4

Theres a Rhino in My House - Part 1 of 4

Attenborough and the blind baby rhino

Baby elephants and a baby black rhino

Learning How To Feed Ollie The Baby Rhino

Bottle Feeding A Baby Rhino

Ollie the black baby rhino playing after mudbath

Baby Black Rhino at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park

Ridiculously Cute Baby Rhino Hates His Mud Bath

Baby rhino calf finds friends in the wild after abandoned by mother- BBC...

Putting Baby Black Rhino To Bed.

Baby Black Rhino at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

First time fun in the rain for baby rescued black rhino

Cute endangered black rhino baby is newest resident at San Diego Zoo

Cleveland Zoo

http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2010/09/cleveland-rhino-mom-delivers-100-pounds-of-joy.html

It's a Girl! (A Really BIG Girl.) Zoo Celebrates Black Rhino Birth

Robert Winslow Photography

http://www.robertwinslowphoto.com/Animals/African-and-Asian-Animals-1/Rhinos-Black/i-NSnjTMN

Taronga Western Plains Zoo, New South Wales Australia

Western black rhino declared extinct

WILD black rhinos were declared extinct, according to the latest assessment by experts at a leading conservation group.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature said the western black rhino, native to West Africa, no longer exists and claimed that a quarter of all other mammal species are at risk of extinction.

Its updated "red list" of threatened species, the gold standard for animal and plant conservation, classified the Central African white rhino as "possibly extinct in the wild," and the Javan rhino is also making a last stand after Vietnamese poachers killed the last of its subspecies last year.

"Human beings are stewards of the earth, and we are responsible for protecting the species that share our environment," Simon Stuart, head of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, said in a statement.

He added, "In the case of both the western black and the northern white rhinos, the situation could have had very different results if suggested conservation measures had been implemented."

Positive developments included the reintroduction of Central Asia's Przewalski's horse (pictured below) which has moved from a status of critically endangered to endangered thanks to a successful captive breeding and reintroduction program.

3 YEARS AGO NOVEMBER 11, 2011 12:30AM

This baby black rhinoceros, pictured with her mum, was born at the Western Plains Zoo in NSW in 2002. Experts say zoos are the only place we will see such animals from now on. Source: The Advertiser

Kufara, one of the Black rhinos at Western Plains Zoo. Picture: Anthony Reginato

Kwanzaa, 11-year-old black rhinoceros watches Indian myna bird as it walks around his enclosure at Taronga Zoo in Sydney in 2003. Source: AP

http://www.news.com.au/world/western-black-rhino-declared-extinct/story-e6frfkyi-1226192014993

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March 23, 2010

Romping Baby Rhino Rocks Taronga!

Australia's Taronga Western Plains Zoo has welcomed the arrival of a female Black Rhino calf born in the early hours of Wednesday 17 February 2010 to first-time mother Bakhita. Both mother and calf will remain off display in behind-the-scenes paddocks over the coming weeks to ensure that Bakhita has time to adapt to her new role as mother and that her calf can familiarize itself with its new surroundings.

http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2010/03/romping-baby-rhino-rocks-taronga.html

Taronga Western Plains Zoo

Zoo in Dubbo, New South Wales

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Taronga Western Plains Zoo, formerly known as Western Plains Zoo and commonly known as Dubbo Zoo, is a large zoo near Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia. Wikipedia
Address: Obley Road, Dubbo NSW 2830, Australia
Area: 3 km²
Opened: February 28, 1977
Hours:

Open today · 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Phone: +61 2 6881 1400