Meet Dubbo zoo’s newest arrival
ONE month after making his public debut alongside his mother Amala, Greater Onehorned Rhino calf Hari has settled into the paddocks at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.
At only three months of age, keeper Katharina Pollock said Hari has already achieved many milestones.
“He’s very confident and great at meeting new people,” Ms Pollock said, adding that the little rhino is capable of wallowing in mud and play wrestling.
Hari has also progressed into eating some solids with his favourite being fresh branches cut from casuarina and bamboo trees.
Keepers get 20 minutes of individual time to build a relationship with Hari each morning, during which time they feed him mashed banana and give him massages and back scratches.
“He’s very cheeky and he knows it,” Ms Pollock said, adding that he has certain spots on his body that react when he is being tickled just like toddlers or dogs.
Hari gets a thrill when rain is pouring as he gets actively more energetic with the cooler weather approaching, which during the heat he likes mud wallowing to keep his skin cool.
The Greater One-horned
Rhino calf is predicted to weigh more than 200kg and will gain more than a kilo every day during his developmental period.
Ms Pollock explained that the species are solitary animals and are only enclosed together during breeding season and while the calf is still developing.
“We had to be very careful when breeding and plan it very strategically as the male and female can hurt each other if you are not cautious,” Ms Pollock said.
The pair was introduced in June 2020 and displayed
behaviours of compatibility through evidence of scruff marks, mock fighting and visualisations.
“Amala was chasing him for a while, but when they settled there were signs of natural mating behaviours,” she said.
With Hari’s father originating from Nagoya Zoo in Japan and his mother from Oklahoma City Zoo in the US, Ms Pollock said Taronga Western Plains Zoo is the only zoo in Australia to conserve Greater One-horned Rhinos.
“We are extremely fortunate to take part in the breeding program as this species status is extremely vulnerable in the wild,” Ms Pollock said, explaining that Hari is still developing a lot of his characteristics, but he is very outgoing and has high bursts of energy.
“He is still very much a mummy’s boy as he always wants to keep close to his mother, but he is not afraid to venture a few metres from her anymore,” Ms Pollock said.
“Visual contact is very important with this species as they like to protect one another.”