Timu
RACINE, Wis. - The Racine Zoo announced on Monday the departure of one of its female Eastern Black Rhinos.
Farewell to Timu
What we know:
Timu arrived at Racine Zoo in 2003. For much of her stay, Timu shared her habitat with Kianga. Kianga was moved to the Milwaukee County Zoo this past fall.
Kianga and Timu had originally been paired to breed. However, despite many opportunities for offspring, this pairing has not given a successful birth.
After much deliberation, it was decided that the best plan for the species overall would be to try other pairings.
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Timu is relocating to a facility with a strong track record of success in Eastern Black Rhino breeding.
"Timu was a guest favorite, and we were sad to see her go but so excited for her future and what that means to her kind." Said Beth Heidorn, Executive Director of the Racine Zoo.
About Eastern Black Rhinos
Dig deeper:
Critically endangered in the wild, Eastern Black Rhino numbers have declined sharply, falling from 70,000 in the 1970s to a staggering 1,650 today.
This decline is attributed to illegal hunting of wild rhinos. This hunting is largely driven by the demand for rhino horns, which some cultures believe have medicinal properties.
In other cultures, the possession of rhino horns is regarded as a prominent status symbol.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by the Racine Zoo.