Species Conservation Mission: Csülök the Indian Rhino Moving to Poland

Csülök, the eight-year-old male Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) from the Szeged Zoo, is moving to Poland, to the Wrocław Zoo. Meanwhile, Akeno, the other male remaining in the rhino house, will soon find a mate, the zoo announced on its social media page.

The container in which Csülök will move from Szeged to Wrocław Zoo in the spring arrived in Szeged on Thursday morning from the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic.

First, the staff of the Szeged Zoo will install and secure the three-ton crate brought by the Czech transporters, and then Csülök’s training will begin. This is necessary because an animal of this weight and strength can only be transported if it enters the transport crate on its own.

Two young males arrived at the rhino house in Szeged Zoo in 2020 as part of a species conservation breeding program,

and even then, one of the long-term goals of the experts was to replace one of the sexually mature males with a female.

Based on the species coordinator’s decision, Csülök will go to Wroclaw for breeding purposes, while Akeno will remain and will soon be joined by a female companion.

An important reason for the separation is that young male rhinos can be kept together until they reach sexual maturity, after which territorial behavior develops, which can easily turn from “friendly squabbles” into serious aggression.

The Indian rhinoceros is considered a priority species in the world of zoos. A hundred years ago, it was feared that the species would become extinct, with only a few individuals remaining in northern India, mainly in the province of Assam, due to intensive hunting.

They were hunted for trophies and for use in traditional Chinese medicine, the latter of which currently poses the greatest threat. Although there is no evidence to support this, it is considered one of the most effective medicines in East and Southeast Asia.

However, thanks to active conservation efforts, their numbers have grown nicely, with over 2,000 individuals now roaming the wild.

Indian rhinos, one of the five species of rhinos currently living, have a body length of more than three meters for females and three and a half meters for males, and weigh between 1,600 and 3,200 kilograms. The species have brownish-gray skin that is two to five centimeters thick and richly wrinkled, giving them the appearance of medieval knights, which is why they are also called “armored rhinos.”

They mostly live alone, except for females raising calves. They consume an amount of food equivalent to one percent of their body weight per day, mainly grasses, but also fruits, leaves, tree and bush branches, and aquatic plants.

Via MTI, Featured image: Pixabay

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