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Virile Rhino moves to Belgium

Thursday, 17 October 2024

A 32-year-old square-lipped rhinoceros is moving from Burgers' Zoo to LeMonde Sauvagezoo (Belgium) on Thursday, 17 October 2024.
The adult male can rightly be called virile, with a whopping eleven offspring at the zoo in Arnhem. The potent rhinoceros has fathered eight males and three females and will hopefully also provide offspring to genetically important females in Belgium.

Specialist animal transportation service

EKIPA (Experienced Know-How in Professional Animal Transport) specialises in transporting zoo animals to and from zoos. Transporting an adult male square-lipped rhinoceros weighing 2500–3000 kg requires a specially designed transport crate and a truck capable of carrying this weight.

Successful rhino breeding in Arnhem

Burgers' Zoo has been among the top five most successful breeders of square-lipped rhinos in Europe for years. The others are Serengeti-Park Hodenhagen (Germany), Knowsley Safari Park (England), ZSL Whipsnade Zoo (England) and Safaripark Beekse Bergen (The Netherlands). There are a total of eighty-one zoos with square-lipped rhinos in Europe.

Genetically important rhino females in Belgium

Le Monde Sauvage is home to several nulliparous (have not given birth yet) square-lipped rhinoceros females that are genetically important to the European population management programme. The programme coordinator aims to keep the genetic variation within the European zoo population as diverse as possible. Offspring in Belgium fathered by the male from Arnhem would be a welcome development for the programme.