Rhinoceros moves to Kaunas
Tuesday, 26 September 2023
On Tuesday morning, 26 September, an almost 2.5-year-old square-lipped rhino born at Burgers' Zoo left for Kaunas Zoo in Lithuania. The male rhinoceros is making this journey to the Baltic states as part of the European population management programme. Burgers’ Zoo has been a significant player in this international programme for years, ranking among Europe’s top five most successful breeders of square-lipped rhinoceros.
Experienced in Rhinoceros Transport
The veterinarians, biologists, and zookeepers at Burgers’ Zoo have extensive experience in rhinoceros transports. On the day of the transport, a specially designed transport crate is placed outside the enclosure, and the veterinarian gives the rhinoceros a light sedative. The rhinoceros calmly enters the crate while partially sedated, after which it is closed, and the veterinarian helps the rhinoceros regain consciousness.
The European Population Management Programme
Square-lipped rhinoceroses are an endangered species, and there has been a European population management programme within the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) for many years. This programme is coordinated from the Netherlands and aims to maintain the genetic diversity of the European zoo population of square-lipped rhinoceroses as diversely as possible in the future.
A Crash of Square-lipped Rhinoceroses
Including the young rhinoceros that will be transported on September 26, Burgers’ Safari, which boasts an expansive East African savannah habitat, is home to a crash of six square-lipped rhinoceroses. The rhinoceros group in Arnhem consists of one adult male, 31 years old, three adult females aged 35, 22, and 19 years, and two young males, nearly 2.5 years and just over 1.5 years old. The 22 and 19-year-old females have already given birth to several offspring in Arnhem.
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