Mesker Park Zoo is gearing up to welcome a new member to the zoo family. Rupert the Rhinoceros is expected to be arriving soon.

Rupert the Rhino will journey from Oklahoma to Evansville in the coming days, although an exact arrival date isn't clear.

 

Rupert is an Indian Rhinoceros and will make his way from Oklahoma. It takes a great deal of preparation to make transport of this kind possible. Rupert will join Mechi, who is a female Indian Rhino already housed at Mesker Park Zoo. According a comment from Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden, that was left in response to a question posed on the post above:

Rupert is coming to Mesker Park Zoo based on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP). An SSP manages the breeding of species to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable.
He is still quite young, but it’s an important first step for future plans to enhance conservation of his species in the wild

If you would like to keep up on the progress of Rupert's journey to Evansville, you can follow the Official Facebook Page for Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden.

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