Two greater one-horned rhinoceros at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo have celebrated their birthday with a joint party held on Thursday July 23rd. The couple known as Bertus and Samir are the largest residents of the zoo. The pair were both born during 2008 so turn 7 this year.
To help the pair celebrate keepers made designed them a birthday cake. Instead of chocolate and cream though their cake was made from hay topped with grass, fruits and vegetables topped with bamboo stick candles. These were then topped with carrots to represent the flames.
Hoofstock keeper at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, Karen Stiven said, “The two animals will really enjoy their ‘cake’ and they will happily spend some time chomping on it. They will also be given lots of extra browse and fresh grass as an extra birthday treat. They’re both gentle giants who are extremely well-natured and will be more than happy to share the ‘cake’ with each other.”
Bertus and Samir came to Edinburgh and Rotterdam Zoo and Stuggart Zoo respectively during 2010. The pair are regularly sighted playing together enjoying the toys such as large balls and tractor tyres.
Greater one horned rhinos are under threat like all rhinos are. Currently they are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN red list in their native Nepal and India. They are under threat from the trade in rhino horn which is currently worth up to £38,500 per kilogram. Currently the population numbers just 3,000.
Photo Credit: Edinburgh Zoo
