Printable Version of Topic Click here to view this topic in its original format

Rhino Resource Center: Rhino Forums > Rhino Species > Black Rhino > Black rhino introductions

Posted by: cydneyp Nov 1 2008, 03:46 PM

I am currently working with 1.1 black rhinos; the female will be 8 in January and is exhibiting signs of cycling. The male just turned 5. They get along very well, they would rather spend time next to each other in adjacent stalls and always have a straw bed next to each other. In the morning they are always sleeping next to one another. I have never seen any aggression, even when they were first put next to one another. In fact, the male attempted to mount her through the barrier the first day that they had nose to nose contact. There were plans to run the two together this summer but circumstances prevented this from occurring. Now there are some differing opinions on when these individuals should be put together, i.e. when the female is in or out of estrus. One concern that I do have is that the vast majority of the staff is "green" to rhino husbandry. What are people's thoughts on the subject.

Posted by: CassandraS Nov 4 2008, 03:43 PM

Hi cydneyp, We also have 1.1 Blacks that we just re-introduced after 4 years of being apart. Ours were also very keen on being next to eachother, and never showed aggression through a barrier, but with them at least it was a whole new ballgame when they were together in the exhibit. From what I have heard, this is common for intros. I have not heard of an intro going without some chasing and confrontations. In our circumstance, our pair doesn't show any clear signs of the female cycling, so we just put them together whenever it worked for us-I couldn't tell you if she was cycling or not. They had very aggressive interactions for the first 4 days, and then things calmed down a little bit. After about 10 days of being together, they bred. I think I would be more inclined to intro animals a week or two before cycling, because it seems like they will not breed the first few days regardless, due to the aggression that overrides everything. But I'm definitely not an expert. Just wanted to give you my two cents.

Posted by: adam Nov 5 2008, 11:39 AM

5 years is a little young to be breeding for a male and I could see this causing some difficulty with the courtship process (i.e. the male too young to figure out what the female is trying to do). I have read and heard places do not consider a male mature until at least 8 years old (some literature says 12years old). As far as when to put them together some institutions put their animals together only when the female is cycling while our institution did what you were suggesting. We put them together a couple of weeks before the female was cycling and then left them together (even through pregnancy).

Posted by: cydneyp Nov 5 2008, 02:30 PM

There was some discussion from others in the rhino field about putting these guys together when he is younger to help reduce any aggression since they appear to "enjoy" eachothers company. He is still very interested in her when she is cycling. It sounds like there is quite a bit of variation in what facilities are doing. I just want to make the most informed decision that we can. So thank you so much for you responses. Keep 'em coming.

Posted by: CassandraS Nov 5 2008, 10:36 PM

I looked up when our rhinos started breeding, and the male started when he was 5 1/2 years old. Our pair had already been together for a year, and the female is about a year younger than the male. She did not get pregnant for another 2 years, but we never had any problems with introducing them before sexual maturity. I would say it helped with our pair bonding that they have been together as long as possible, but that's just one situation.

Posted by: nyukitx Sep 25 2009, 02:35 AM

I have worked black rhinos in the past and we always waited until the female was cycling. They were given a "howdy" gate (with limited tactile contact) and when the female turned her back to the male we put them on the yard together. The first encounter was very aggressive but improved over time. 4 pregnancies and 3 calves later, the same technique is still in place. I think you're right, it just depends on facility's preference. Good luck.

Posted by: cydneyp Sep 25 2009, 02:05 PM

Thought I'd let all know that out 1.1 were put together in early June and are doing great. They had an uneventful intro, as they are next to each other everyday in the barn. The male attempted to mount right away. She wasn't very receptive, but was not aggressive. They are together during the day on exhibit and separated at night, although still right next to each other. They sleep next to each other over night, share food during the day and most of the time, stick together. Interestingly, both individuals were always on edge on exhibit alone and stayed against the back wall as far away from the public as possible. Now, since they are together, they use the entire exhibit and I have even seen them approach the containment wall when the public is right in front of them. They have a completely different mind set when they are together outside. Watching their stress level decrease significantly is fantastic. The male frequently becomes stressed when he can't see the female. We have observed copulation at least 3 times, and as far as we can tell, he did ejaculate. I am currently working with the female for rectal ultrasounds. She loves her training time and will continue to offer behaviors even after the training set is over.