While a fair amount of attention has been dedicated to discussing the best elephant exhibit, there hasn't been near as much about rhino exhibits. I feel zoos consider rhinos the low maintenance pachyderms because they don't have the water requirements of hippos or the social requirements of elephants. Also, unlike elephants and hippos, at least white and occasionally indian rhinos have been successfully exhibited with other hoofstock species. However, I've seen quite a few good rhino programs throughout the country. I'd love to start some dialogue on rhino programs and a debate over the best rhino exhibits. Of the ones I've seen here's my list: 1. Cincinnati Zoo- Complete with stellar exhibits for black, Indian, and Sumatran rhinos, this is definitely a premier zoo for these horned creatures. What stands out about these exhibits is how carefully they are designed to meet the rhino's needs and provide enrichment opportunities. All three have nice mud wallows and spacious yards. The Sumatran exhibit is nice because it actually does achieve some level of immersion, especially because of the details in the rocks. The black rhino exhibit has grass and good viewing opportunities. The Indian rhino one has a deep pool and the rhinos are often found swimming. 2. San Diego Wild Animal Park- The best zoo in the country for white rhinos. Over 90 have been born here and they share the 120 acre East Africa field exhibit with giraffes, cape buffalo, lechwe, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, waterbuck, sitatunga, and others. The savannah is spacious and fairly realistic. The zoo also has the distinction of having one of only a handful northern white rhinos in the world. The black rhino exhibit is more conventional but they still have had a successful breeding program. The Indian rhinos are kept in an amazing 40-60 acre Asian savannah but due to the dismiss of the Wgasa Monorail they remain inaccessible to visitors. 3. North Carolina Zoo- Here white rhinos are kept in a 37-acre exhibit with waterbuck, greater kudu, bongo, fringe-eared oryx, Thomson's gazelle and others. The space is amazing and the scope is hard to beat although the visitors are often not that close to the rhinos. It looks more like North Carolina than Africa but the vastness is exceptional. 4. Animal Kingdom- I'm impressed at how DAK makes habitats specific for the needs and behaviors of black and white rhinos. The black rhinos have a segregated space full of mud and surrounded by water. It also gives spaces for the shy creatures to hide and have time to themselves. White rhinos coexist with ostriches, oryx, eland, zebras, bonteboks and others in a savannah habitat that's immersive and natural. 5. Bronx Zoo- The Indian rhino enclosure in Wild Asia does a more successful job than most in recreating the forest environment these pachyderms live in complete with trees, a nice wallow and a good amount of space. The zoo also keeps several rhinos in its collection. The white rhinos live in a yard in the Zoo Center that's slightly above average in size and naturalism. 6. Jacksonville Zoo- This zoo has a great white rhino exhibit that's 2.5 acres, very grassy, sparsely dotted with palm trees and mixes them with greater kudus, sitatungas, and ostriches. The zoo captures the group dynamics of the rhinos well, they're fun to watch, and are viewed from a gazebo and boardwalk across duck weed covered water. 7. Fort Worth Zoo- Rhino Ridge in the Asian Falls section is a long and narrow enclosure with beautiful naturalism. The black rhinos live in a large grassy and shaded exhibit next to the giraffes. 8. Zoo Miami- This zoo has large, moated exhibits for black and Indian rhinos. The black rhinos have a nice pool. 9. Maryland Zoo- White rhinos live in an immersive African Watering Hole enclosure with zebras and various antelope. 10. Lowry Park Zoo- Has nice enclosures for both white and Indian rhinos. I'd love to hear all of your opinions.
Being my favorite animal I have a lot of input on this! 1. Great Plains Zoo (Sioux Falls, SD)- Recently opened a rhino exhibit in 2010 I think that focuses completely upon black rhinos and their conservation. While I have not seen this exhibit in person I have heard nothing but stellar reviews about it. 2. Cleveland Zoo- The exhibit itself is above average with a nice pool in the middle of the front exhibit yard that I have seen the black rhinos use many many times! Very fun to watch. There are plenty of shaded areas, as well as a sloped area where the rhinos are able to walk down allowing guests to get great views. There are also plenty of mud wallows and lots of enrichment. The rhino area is complete with a spacious barn and an off-exhibit yard. They also have a really great breeding record with black rhino babies born in 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, and 2012. 3. Saint Louis Zoo- The River's Edge exhibit here has one of the most naturalistic black rhino yards I have seen with a beautiful green back drop and trickling stream through the exhibit. The yard also provides the rhinos with plenty of space. One of the few rhino exhibits where the containment is naturalistic too. They recently had a black rhino calf in 2011 or 2012 I believe. 4. Zoo Atlanta- Another really good black rhino exhibit featuring a breeding group of rhinos in a naturalistic space. I liked that the exhibit is large and shaded with lots of mud and areas for the rhinos to hide. These are just a few of my personal favorites, however I have not seen Great Plains. I am also slightly biased toward black rhinos
St. Louis and DAK have excellent, naturalistic black rhino exhibits. I've always like Reid Park's white rhino exhibit. The Bronx Zoo's Sumatran rhino exhibit (now replaced by tortoises) was small but very naturalistic. Fresno's upcoming mixed savanna with white rhinos looks like it will be outstanding, and Omaha's new savanna (rhinos with giraffe) should be very good too. Further afield, the new Leipzig black rhino complex (3 exhibits) blends nicely with its existing (and fantastic) mixed savanna. One of the rhino spaces allows a combination with cheetahs and patas monkeys!
Zoo Atlanta and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo were also contenders for my list. It's hard to compare white and black rhino exhibits because they have different ecological needs and social requirements.
The Tulsa Zoo's new white rhino exhibit is a nice improvement compared to their old quarters. They now have 4 yards, 3 of which they share with springbok, white storks, and grey crown cranes.
from a U K perspective i say. for White rhino i say whipsinade and cotswold ( i would like to say the safari parks for white rhino but im not sure how there managed ie do they have the full area or is it monitored controlled by rangers) Black rhino howletts or port lympne . Indian rhino Whipsinade . ps i havent seen all uk rhino exhibits and this is from a visual perpective not how there kepted managed etc .
I second both Bronx and St. Louis for their naturalism, and all of the open-range exhibits for their size and variation. I would also suggest Houston as a good example of a mixed-species habitat with rhinos. It was mixed-species a couple of years ago, anyway... not sure if it still is.
