Rhino Brothers Prepare for Move
Posted at 9:40 am June 22, 2009 by Laura Weiner
Laura gives one of her charges a rub.
Just as when I trained Gram, our previous Indian rhino, for his move to Kansas (see post, Gram the Rhino: The Journey Begins), I have had to spend time with each of the boys. Soman, the calmer of the two, has been great with the crate training. He stepped into the crate well and has been quite consistent throughout the training period. I am even able to close the door behind him while he is in the crate and he continues to eat pellets.
The crate is a large wooden box, reinforced with a metal frame. Even though their trip to the old elephant yard may be only a few hundred feet, it is still good to have a safe container for the move. Many guests have asked why we don’t just set up a temporary fence and walk them across. As someone who has worked with rhinos for almost eight years, there is no such thing as “temporary” with rhinos! Either it can hold them or it can’t. A little fence across the street can’t. But I admit, it would be fun to see them just walk across to their new digs.
Surat has been more of a challenge. He did not enjoy his first experience in the crate, so it has taken a lot more time to get him used to it again. He is very sensitive to noise, and every time a bus goes by or someone yells, he backs out. It just takes time and patience. I am confident he will come in and we will be able to close the door behind him just fine. Soon he’ll be in a new, larger exhibit so it will be worth it.
Very soon our guests will be able to get up close and personal with the rhinos and some of our other animal ambassadors with the Zoo’s Backstage Pass program. Soman and Surat are ready to greet their adoring fans!
Laura Weiner is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
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June 22nd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Congratulations on the upcoming move, Laura. Your patience and love of the Rhino brothers will be rewarded when they arrive in their new larger space in the old elephant exhibit. Will they go on “walks” like the elephants did to keep them trim and in shape?
I can just picture two young Rhinos walking across the street to get from old habitat to new. It would be OK if everything went smoothly, but since Surat is skittish, it is not likely that it would go too smoothly and it is smarter to stick with the tried and true crates.
June 22nd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Will the pair ever have to be separated due to aggression or will the two still be buds during the coming years??
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:50 am
wow! the rhino brothers have really grown! which rhino is in the picture? do they still raise caine like they used to when younger? it was nice having an update on the brothers. I am sure they will love and appreciate their new and bigger area. are you working on any new training methods with them? love to hear about these frollocking siblings. thanks!
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Hi Nicholas,
In my opinion, as long as there is not a female rhino anywhere in the vicinity they should be fine. They are quite bonded and I can see them being buds for a long time to come.
Hi Nancy,
That is Soman, the older brother in the picture. We did a photo shoot for the new Backstage Pass program, and he was a star that day. So well behaved! For this new program the rhinos are learning a new area, to shift in and out of the barn, to come over to the fence and line up to be touched by the guests, etc. All sorts of new behaviors that will come with time.
They are both still young and get excited about new noises. But most rhinos never lose that quick reflex to something new and scary. They all either charge forward or run away quickly. My goal is to make them as relaxed as possible and used to all of the sounds around them. So far they are doing well.
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:14 pm
These two rhinos are humans in rhino suits. Thanks for the updates. Can’t wait for my SDZ visit in July.
June 29th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
How large is the exhibit they are going into? Thanks again
July 4th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Hi Nicholas,
It is the old elephant exhibit which I believe is about one acre. Definitely much bigger than their old exhibit. The boys have been doing great in their new exhibit and I’ll write a new blog soon about their progress.