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| Location: |
Captive - Europe |
| Subject: |
Captivity - Zoo Records |
| Species: |
Sumatran Rhino |
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Birth of a Rhinoceros in London. This unprecedented event occurred in the London Docks on the evening of the 6th of December [1872], and we learn the following particulars from the obliging keeper Mr. John Warncken. The two animals, mother and child, are the property of Mr. Rice, naturalist, of Grove Street, Commercial Road. The mother was taken in a pitfall, and was shipped, with a male of the same species, from Singapore, in the steamship 'Orchis'. The ship encountered such heavy seas on the voyage that the strong teak cage of the male was broken in, and the occupant was either killed or died from injuries received. After a passage of seventy-three days, the vessel arrived in the Victoria Docks, and before the survivor could be removed from deck she gave birth to this young one. The period of gestation, hitherto unknown, has, we believe, now been ascertained to be nine months. Mr. Bartlett, of the Zoological Gardens, was at once sent for, and under his superintendence the 'little stranger' was removed in blankets to Mr. Rice's premises. The mother soon afterwards arrived in a van, and the young one was fed with her milk. This is the only nourishment it takes; but it is so strong and vigorous that it applies to the mother repeatedly, and the keeper (who sleeps all night with it) informed us that it had sucked no less than seven times during the night previous to our visit. Descending some steps into a dark stable, we could see by the dim light of a bull's-eye lantern that the further end had been partitioned off, and covered with sacking to exclude the light. In this compartment the old rhinoceros was lying down, while the young one, pretty strong on its legs, was walking slowly towards us, and making for a square opening that led into a separate chamber in which a featherbed had been placed for its especial benefit. The opening through which it entered is too small to admit the mother, although the keeper, who shares its featherbed, informed us that the dam comes to the opening and looks in affectionately at her infant while it sleeps. She is very quiet, and seems little to think that with one toss of her strong and sharp horn she could send cradle and keeper through the roof of the stable. As we peeped in at a small aperture, the keeper holding the light down for us, the young one walked up deliberately to the lantern, and gave us an excellent view. In appearance it reminds one of the young hippopotamus, but has a longer head, and apparently stands higher on its legs. The face is bare, with just a rudiment of horn, but the body is covered with black hair. The ears are long and directed backwards, although occasionally twitched perpendicularly with a quasi-nervous movement. Correspondent of the 'Field.'
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Birth of a rhinoceros in London
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