Comments by Animal Rights Pertinax, regarding your observation on Gauhati Zoo. There is one Great Indian Rhino in a mixed species enclosure with Sarus Cranes and Axis Deer. The Rhino regularly kills the deer babies and destroys the eggs of the cranes. I don't know why they continue with the exhibit. You are right, the Gauhati Zoo rhinos are not in a very good condition. But they have tackled some rescued babies from the floods.
Reviving this thread with Indian zoo news on rhinos: Vandalur Zoo - interest in Indian rhinos for gaur. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/1306...s/article/one-horned-rhinos-vandalur-zoo-soon What surprises me here is that the words conservation and breeding programme are completely lacking in evidence. You just shout / cite an interest in a species, publish it in a paper and hope it will happen. It quite looks like the practice in professional football / soccer. Vandalur has never had a good track record with the Indian rhino - the longevity for the last one was just 4 years -. Admittedly, the zoo is of sufficient standards .. in terms of husbandry techniques, animal management and enclosure design (much more than quite a lot of Indian zoos), but still I feel there has not been a real case for bringing Indian rhino to Vandalur. What would turn me round is probably an indication of the zoo to wish for participation in the conservation breeding programme for the species. Sadly, even now .. transfers of rhinos between Indian zoos are not conducted on this basis, but rather on whether a demand and supply economy exists between 2 State Zoos. I wish it were different and that both the designated species coordinator and the CZA would intervene to really put breeding programmes to the fore in Indian zoos. The recent proposed move of a Kanpur Zoo rhino to a Karnataka based zoo .. that has not had the species previoiusly nor any previous breeding history with the species is a case in point. I would rather have that rhino go to either Patna or Assam State Zoo for breeding and in due course bringing round the zoos of old with prior experience of rhino management like Mysore, Hyderabad and Kolkota into the breeding program. I would love for any of your readership to take me up on this issue without degenerating into an animal welfare discussion!
News story posted before by kiang, however also relevant here. Kanpur Zoo - rhino birth Birth of Rhino calf brings joy in Kanpur zoo - The Times of India Born in May 2013 The sex of the calf is unknown as yet and it was underweight. The parents Rohit and Manu are interrelated. Some years ago the zoo lost its breeding female rhino. Manu is one of her last offspring which has now reached maturity. I would have loved for this rhino to transfer to Assam State Zoo and be exchanged for one of their rhino females for breeding.
Rhino Nakul moved from Kanpur to Vishkhapatnam and escaping into nearby sambar paddock and then being trained fo 3 months to move back to his original enclosure. It should never have happened in the first place. Wrong move, wrong place! Source: Zoo 'conditions' rhinoceros ahead of move to own enclosure - The Times of India BTW: this rhino is wild born and genetically far more important than the current male breeding at Kanpur (being a more or less sibling pair).
The funny thing is that European zoos are having troubles now to place all the Indian rhinos bred and can supply a number of animals back to India.
Unless Indian zoos get serious about their conservation breeding programmes and leave the species coordinators decide on breeding plans for individual zoos and specific transfers to / fro ... I would be loath to send any Indian rhinos from European zoos back to India at all. The ones I would consider good are Mysore, Hyderabad, Assam State, Kanpur and Patna. Delhi is the one that flunked on 2 occasions (losing a bull from Patna and one imported from the US SSP).
The national zoo in New Delhi has received a male (38yo) Indian rhino as a potential mate for the zoo's 2 females. Mumbai rhino arrives in Delhi zoo - The Times of India
I am glad it is finally done (it should in fact have happened years ago, around 2000 ... I aint lying). Allthough whether the old boy will still breed is anybody's guess now!
Well finally something I am truly happy with! Guwahati - Assam State Zoo has had its first rhino calf born for 11 years! Female Baghekhati gave birth to male calf on Sunday 1/9/2013. Source: Rhino born under conservation breeding scheme - Times Of India To put it in even bigger perspective: that is now the third rhino calf born this year in Indian zoos. Thankfully all are among the list I recommended / part of the conservation breeding initiative.
