Lifespan15 to 20 years in the wild and 40-50 years under human care
Quick facts
DietGrass
HabitatSavannah grassland
RangeCentral Africa and southern regions
Hey Baby
The white rhinos
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Grass-grazing giants
A huge animal that feeds exclusively on grass, the white rhino has a wide mouth shaped for 'mowing' short grass. Its square lips set it apart from the hook-lipped black rhino.
Like horses and tapirs, rhinos have a simple stomach. Bacteria in their digestive tract help them digest the 60–80kg of vegetation they eat a day.
Our rhinos are fed pellets and leaves on top of grass. Keepers scatter these on the ground to suit their grazing habits. Fruits are given as treats.
Mud spas
Rhinos wallow in mud to cool off, so keepers make sure the big mud pool in the exhibit is always filled. Dried mud also acts as sunscreen for the rhinos.
In the wild, tickbirds pick out ticks and other parasites hiding among the creases in the rhino’s skin. Local birds, however, go as far as to peck on our rhinos’ flesh—a problem also faced by other zoos. Our keepers check their charges daily for any open wounds, applying medicine and rubbing mud over for added protection.
Horny business
White rhinos mark their territory using communal dung piles (middens). Males step on and kick their faeces around to warn off other males. Males can also tell if females are ready to mate with a whiff of the midden.
Courtship disputes are settled with a clash of horns. Sadly, these horns are no defence against poachers’ guns. Alike to a mass of compacted hair, rhino horns are strangely prized for medicinal and ornamental uses and worth more than gold on the black market.
The keeper
Could you share about your history at the Zoo?
I joined the Zoo in 1984. I started at the show, working with the reptiles, orangutans and chimpanzees. But I was restless.
Back then, it was a challenge to breed rhinos. I wanted to give it a go, so I requested to work with them. I’ve been with them ever since.
How did the breeding programme start?
For a long time, we had only had two rhinos – Hattari and Jenny, and they never bred. As white rhinos are social animals, we decided to bring in two more females. Donsa and Shova came to us from Africa and our first calf, Uhura, was born to Shova shortly after. Since then we’ve had babies every two years – the gestation period is 16-17 months.
Do you still remember when Uhura was born?
Yes, it was a Sunday afternoon. A huge crowd had gathered. Shova had given birth in the exhibit itself! She couldn’t tend to her newborn right after as she was in pain. Donsa was the one licking the baby the first two hours. That night, Shova refused to come into the den with Uhura. We kept watch overnight to ensure they were both safe.
Together, we protect wildlife
Inter-zoo breeding efforts
Uhura, our first rhino baby, went to Australia’s Monarto Zoo in Dec 2000. Her younger siblings have gone to zoos in Asia and USA. Inter-zoo breeding programmes diversify the gene pool and increase rhino numbers. Uhura is now a proud mother herself!
The IUCN Status
NT
Near Threatened
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
Pushed to the brink
There are two subspecies of the white rhino - the northern and the southern. The population of the northern was stable up to the late 1990s. In less than a decade, they have been wiped out by rampant poaching. The last few in a Czech zoo were sent to Kenya. They are the northern’s last hope.
The IUCN Status
NT
Near Threatened
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
The ‘hornest’ truth
The southern was also once on the brink of extinction. By the end of the 19th century, there were just 20-50 left. Conservation efforts grew numbers in the wild to 20,000 by 2010. But illegal poaching, too, is on the rise. By 2017, these numbers have declined to 18,000. The ‘hornest’ truth is: you buy, they die. Let’s stamp out the rhino horn trade together.
The IUCN Status
NT
Near Threatened
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.
DD
Data Deficient
Unknown risk of extinction
LC
Least Concern
At relatively low risk of extinction
NT
Near Threatened
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
VU
Vulnerable
At high risk of extinction in the wild
EN
Endangered
At very high risk of extinction in the wild
CR
Critically Endangered
At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
EW
Extinct in the Wild
Survives only in captivity
EX
Extinct
No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity
Special Experiences
White Rhinoceros Feeding
Daily Wild Africa 1:15pmCan Brave the Light Rain
Don’t miss out on this rare close encounter with these magnificent creatures!
Hold a honeydew slice to their mouths and feel their breath on your hand as they gently take the treat from you.
For safety reasons, guests must be 1.2m and above in height to participate.
S$ 8.00/food portion
Prior online booking required
