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Blaszkiewitz, B., 1997. Rhinos in Berlin. International Zoo News 44 (7): 403-406

  details
 
Location: Captive - Europe
Subject: Captivity - Zoo Records
Species: Indian Rhino


Original text on this topic:
On 21 September 1871 a female Indian rhino arrived at Berlin Zoo from Antwerp, and one year later, on 30 September 1872, it was exchanged for a pair delivered bv the animal dealer William Jamrach. The animals were not yet adult on their arrival. Bodinus had purchased them for 8,000 talers. At first both animals were kept together, but their mating behaviour, which seemed to be rather aggressive, was thought to be too dangerous, and they were separated. The female was sold to Frankfurt Zoo in 1896. Both rhinos died in 1909.
In 1874 a female reached the zoo whose species affiliation has again and again been the subject of discussion. This animal was also delivered by Jamrach and, according to Rookmaaker (1977), lived till 1884. The only existing picture of it is a drawing by Gustav M?tzel showing it lying down together with a black rhino. It was repeatedly described as a Javan rhino (R. sondaicus), but it is more probable that it too was an Indian one (Rookmaaker, 1977; Schlawe, 1969). An undoubtedly Javan rhino was kept at London Zoo from 1874 to 1885 (see pictures in Kourist, 1969, and Edwards, 1996).
It was only in 1959 that another Indian rhino reached Berlin Zoo. This was the male Arjun, born in Assam in 1958, who was given to Basle Zoo in 1965 to fill the vacant place of breeding male. In return a pair of Indian rhinos, Miris and Gauhati, born in Basle and Hamburg, came to Berlin the same year. The female, Miris, reached sexual maturity earlier than Gauhati, and for this reason she was twice sent to Basle, where Axjun mated with her. On 4 April 1972 a male calf, Kumar, was born at Berlin Zoo - the first birth of a rhino in Berlin. Kumar moved to Amsterdam Zoo in 1973, and from there to Whipsnade in 1978. He is still alive there and has several descendants. Another male, Heiner, born on 18 February 1976, came from Miris's second mating with Arjun. This animal was given to Oklahoma City Zoo in the United States in 1981. Today this bull is living at the Bronx Zoo, New York, and has had numerous offspring. On 13 August 1979 a female, Terai, was born to Gauhati and Miris - the third rhino birth in Berlin. Terai was also given to Oklahoma City, from where she went to Los Angeles Zoo; 1 saw her at San Diego Wild Animal Park on the occasion of my last stay in the United States early in 1997. In 1988 a four-month-old calf, Narayani, arrived at Berlin Zoo from Nepal. lliris and Gauhati died in 1993 - in the 29th and 30th years of their lives respectively.

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