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Rhino Resource Center: Rhino Forums > Rhinos in Captivity > Breeding > Weaning captive calfs

Posted by: wanteed Mar 26 2009, 03:59 PM

I would like to know something more about experiences of weaning calfs of black rhinos in captivity. Exspecialy about age of calf.

Posted by: CassandraS Jun 25 2009, 08:03 PM

I know that 2 years is an appropriate age to wean a calf-although there is no strict timeline. We did not forcefully separate our calf and dam until 3 because we had no room to do so, and had to wait until we shipped our calf out. By that time she had weaned herself almost completely. In the wild, they wean their calves at about 2 years of age.

Posted by: wanteed Jul 9 2009, 08:56 PM

Thank you for your answer. There are many topics which infulencing result. You are right that after approximately two years of age mostly mother has separated from their calsf by themselfs. It same with time in the wild, but normaly in the wild females are pregnant again for about six months of age theirs calfs. And here is the problem. When you will wait to two or three years of age of calfs, you separate animals without many problems, but after you have very long time between births. Separate calfs before one and half year is very big stress for them. So I think about start to learn calfs stay several hours in indoor facility and in the outside enclosure connect mother with male to mating time and after again put motjer and calf together. Do you anybody have some experience with that?