Move over, Jenna Dewan: There’s a pregnant black rhinoceros at Michigan’s Potter Park Zoo.
First-time expectant mom Doppsee is due in late December/early January after her 15-month gestation period.
Since arriving at Potter Park in 2011, the whimsically named Doppsee has been an active participant in the Species Survival Plan, which works to provide long, healthy lives for endangered animals in zoos and aquariums.
The black rhino (Diceros bicornis) joins its white African sibling as one of the world’s most endangered species.
Populations declined dramatically in the 20th century, due to European hunters and settles; between 1960 and 1995, their community shrunk 98 percent to fewer than 2,500.
Persistent conservation efforts, however, have helped double black rhino numbers, which now reach upwards of 5,400.
The hook-lipped creatures, however, are still considered critically endangered; a lot of work remains to boost the genus and ensure it stays alive in the face of poaching and black market trafficking.
Doppsee’s pregnancy is significant not only because of the animals’ global status: According to veterinarians at Michigan State University, she also has very valuable genetics.
If well circulated, that code could increase the chance of preserving the black rhino species.
Doppsee’s frequent ultrasounds are a team effort (via Michigan State University)
Mate Phineus, a nine-year-old male black rhino from Texas, moved to Potter Park in April 2017.
“Before breeding between Phineus and Doppsee even began, zoo staff and the veterinarians worked diligently to make sure it would be safe for all animals and people involved,” Potter Park director Cynthia Wagner explained.
“The zoo community as a whole has been working together to understand the breeding and reproduction process of rhinos,” she said in a statement. “Potter Park Zoo is very fortunate to foster an environment where we could introduce, monitor, and mate Doppsee and Phineus.”
Vets and students from MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medical Center are working alongside zoo staff to oversee the pregnancy, as well as learn from and plan for delivery.
Physical signs of rhinoceros pregnancies don’t always present immediately, leaving zookeepers uncertain of Doppsee’s fertilization until confirmed through multiple ultrasound evaluations.
“I never would have expected that I would be doing transrectal and transabdominal ultrasounds on a black rhino as part of my training to become a theriogenologist,” MSU instructor Julie Strachota said of the collaboration, which she called “a wonderful educational experience.”
Veterinarians and zoo staff will continue to monitor Doppsee—whose cooperativeness and good nature suggests voluntary participation—and her fetus weekly.
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