Notify HGTV - The Rhinos At Potter Park Zoo Are Redoing Their Home

By Billie Harris

Lansing, MI - It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that Potter Park Zoo reveals preliminary plans for the new Eastern Black Rhino Exhibit. Ingham County began requesting qualifications from engineering firms interested in the Rhino Yard Expansion project on Wednesday, January 7, 2009.

The new exhibit will feature two enlarged outdoor yards and renovations and expansion to the rhino building providing the rhinos with a variety of indoor and outdoor habitats. The exhibit will also feature a canopied viewing area and places for visitors to watch zookeepers work directly with the rhinos, providing a naturalistic habitat for rhinos and many dynamic learning opportunities for guests.

The renovated facility will have a large indoor habitat, twice the size of the current rhino barn, with additional stalls and areas for zookeepers to work directly with the animals. The facility will be equipped with rubberized floors that are better for the rhinos’ feet and new scale systems to better facilitate medical treatments. The new expanded building will also feature special viewing windows for additional opportunities for visitors to observe the rhinos.

Along with the indoor renovations, the zoo will also be expanding and enhancing the current rhino yard. The new yard will be twice the size of the current yard and contain shade structures, mud wallows, and watering holes intended to stimulate natural rhino behaviors. The inclusion of these features will aid in the overall care of the animals by providing ways for the rhino to cool down and prevent sunburn while allowing visitors to witness these natural behaviors.

Zoo officials worked closely with Black Rhino Species Survival Program (SSP) coordinators to develop an exhibit design that would meet the high standards set by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for zoos participating in the Black Rhino SSP program.

“Black Rhinos can be stressed by being close to the public,” said Dr. Tara Harrison, the zoo’s veterinarian and animal curator. “This new exhibit design provides ways to immerse them in a pseudo-naturalistic environment while reducing the overall stress of the animal, and still giving the visitors a chance to observe this critically endangered species.”

Currently there are less than 5,000 Eastern Black Rhinos in the wild. Potter Park Zoo is deeply committed to the conservation of endangered species including Black Rhinos. The zoo is currently a member of the AZA and the Species Survival Program (SSP). As a part of the SSP, zoos across the U.S. cooperate to care for and breed endangered animals to enable their survival. Nutrition, husbandry, and medical care are continuously improved through such programs. The renovations to the current rhino facilities will aid the zoo’s conservation efforts by better facilitating medical treatments and scientific investigation of black rhinoceros, building on the volume of husbandry knowledge, and enhancing each visitor’s educational experience.

Potter Park Zoo lost its two black rhinos early last year. Spike, the zoo’s 17-year-old male black rhinoceros, passed away February 8, 2008 due to kidney disease. Ebony, the zoo’s female rhino, had been ill over the past year with multiple problems and passed away on April 6, 2008. Investigations later showed that Ebony simultaneously developed several syndromes that commonly affect black rhinoceros, including decreased circulation to the limbs and anemia, which affected Ebony’s feet.

“We were all saddened by the loss of Ebony and Spike,” said Dr. Harrison. “However, much of the research and treatments used with both Ebony and Spike will go on to be used in the future with other rhinos facing similar problems.”

“Potter Park Zoo is a key player in the on-going efforts to help rhinos and must continue to be involved. The expansion of the current rhino exhibit is only the first step,” explains Zoo Director Gerry Brady.

Renovating the current rhino exhibit and the introduction of new black rhinos will provide more opportunities to study these animals to ensure their successful preservation. The zoo will also continue its partnerships with other AZA institutions and the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine to provide the best medical care for these animals.

Potter Park Zoo is located at 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave. within Potter Park along the Red Cedar River in Lansing, Michigan. The zoo is open daily year-round, winter hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (517) 483-4222 or visit www.potterparkzoo.org.