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Groves, C.P., 1995. What is wrong with the captive population of Sumatran rhinos. Asian Rhinos 2: 12

  details
 
Location: World
Subject: Captivity
Species: Sumatran Rhino


Original text on this topic:
effect of UV light. I have seen the facilities for the Sumatran rhinos in Jakarta, San Diego and Melaka. Those in Melaka are the best, but I would like to make a comment which applies even to this one: too much sunlight.
Recently Julian O'Dea, a Visiting Fellow in the Division of Archaeology and Natural History, A.N.U., made UV-B measurements in North Queensland rainforests, and compared them with those made in the open nearby. The results are dramatic, and unanticipated:
microwatts per cm? :
Time Outside conditions outside inside
11-1 strong sunlight 189-245 0-4
11-2 fairly overcast 68-156 0-5 (6 in a small clearing)
4pm overcast, rain 30 0
9am clear sky 70 0-5
- winter in Canberra 80 0-4
This means that Sumatran rhinos - in fact, any terrestrial rainforest animal - will get far too much UV radiation if kept even partly in the open. The prevalence of cataracts in the captive stock supports this conclusion. I speculate that, in addition to this, they will be too hot and, especially, too dry outside the humid rainforest microclimate. I stress that all three zoos have obviously been concerned to keep their rhinos in the best possible conditions. These observations are offered in that spirit.

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