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Zoo Investigates Strange Rhino Deaths


k9angel
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Four endangered white rhinoceroses have died from a mystery illness at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.

It is understood each of the rhinos exhibited signs of stumbling before they died.

Zoo vets are liaising with specialists in Africa and North America and a number of tests have been carried out to work out what has caused the deaths.

The three remaining rhinos from the herd have been put into quarantine and are being monitored for signs of illness.

One of the dead animals is Amira, a calf which was hand-raised by zoo keepers.

A spokeswoman for the zoo says no other animals at the park, including the black rhinoceroses, have been affected.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/latest/a/-/latest/13222163/zoo-investigates-mystery-rhino-deaths/

How sad. :(

R.I.P. rhinos. :rainbowbridge:

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Guest Willow

That's incredibly sad. My first though was poisoning of some sort....not necessarily deliberate, but the description of stumbling made me think that.

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So sad, I hope they find out the cause soon, as it would be terrible if the others had the same fate. The keepers must be devastated. Often watch programs and the zoo keepers and handlers really love the animals they are in charge of.

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I hope it is 'only' something like mould in food

That's the first thing I thought as well, Pers. Staggers syndrome from mouldy food. Not hard to imagine in this wet weather we've had all year.

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I hope it is 'only' something like mould in food

That's the first thing I thought as well, Pers. Staggers syndrome from mouldy food. Not hard to imagine in this wet weather we've had all year.

Yep, mouldy hay was my first thought.

Their keepers must be devastated. :(

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Sadly zoos may be the only place to see rhinos in the future. Nearly 200 wild rhinos were poached in South Africa alone last year, it's out of control over there now due to the demand of rhino horn from Vietnam this time as well as China. :(

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what are the symptoms of botulism? I recall lots of valuable thoroughbred horses dying awful deaths from it at the sales one year. So sad for the zoo to lose the rhinos, I hope they can find and stop it happening to anymore, we cant afford to lose them.

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Very, very sad. It must be especially worrying as the zoo houses other species of rhino that may or may not be at risk as well.

The situation facing wild rhinos is horrific at the moment, the captive population must be so precious. How terrible for the keepers as well.

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