The Southern White Rhino is an anchor species at the Maryland Zoo. Along with African Savannah Elephants, African Lions, Reticulated Giraffe, Sitatunga, Addra Gazelles, Lesser Kudus, Plains Zebra, Common Warthogs, Ostriches, and Common Chimpanzees these are animals that guest have come to expect and delight in. They are not the only amazing animals who call our African Journey home, but they are the ones that have the most devoted returnees.
For decades the role of Ambassador species was held by a companion pair: Daisy and Stubby. They were together since 2004, although she was much older than he. In 2016, Daisy died at the amazing age of 48! and Stubby (who was born at the Knoxville Zoo, and came to live at the Maryland Zoo when he was only 4 lost his BFF. It was hard form him. The AZA sent us a younger mail from the Columbus, Ohio's companion facility called The Wilds in Athens, Ohio. Jaharo was, like Stubby, a mere 4 years old when he arrived. Unfortunately, they never got along. And then tragically, Jaharo developed a rare auto-immune disease and after some heroic and ground-breaking treatments, succumbed to it in 2019.
At this point the AZA took Stubby's welfare in a different direction. Struggling since the death of Daisy, and un-ameliorated by the presence of Jaharo with even more confusion over his death, it was decided that in his mid-20's, Stubby needed a new "adventure". One were he could be introduced to other members of his species and hopefully breed. This is when it was decided to move him to an AZA wildlife center in Florida. The same center would send to the Maryland Zoo a companion pair of adolescent males.
The process of acclimating them to their new home is a long one, especially when it involves other species like zebras and ostriches. Another thing they are not used to are the noises humans make. Still the habitat is large and the acclimation is proceeding well.
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