Trunkline Magazine (Louisville Zoo) June 2018 | Page 4

WHO'S
NEW
AT THE ZOO
Letterman
Southern White Rhino
Age: 3
Arrived: April 6, 2018
On exhibit: Now in Rotation
"Friendly Like
his Namesake"
Rhino Letterman arrived at the
Zoo on April 6, 2018. He’s only
3 years old and comes from The
Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio. He
was originally called Montgomery
but his name was changed by Jack
Hanna in honor of talk show host
David Letterman. So far, Letterman’s
keepers have been very impressed
by how friendly he is. He seems to
enjoy company and actually seeks
it out when given the opportunity.
He enjoys eating grain mix as a
treat and getting his neck scratched
by his keepers. You’ll be able to
distinguish him from female Sindi
by his ear tip that droops on one
side. Rhinos in the remnant wild
are often solitary but do sometimes
form groups. It is estimated that
there were 500,000 rhinos across
Africa and Asia at the beginning
of the 20th century. Today, there
are approximately 20,000 rhinos in
the vanishing wild. Poaching and
loss of habitat have put all rhino
species in danger of extinction. In
March 2018, the last male northern
white rhino, Sudan, passed away in
Kenya. Letterman will be on rota-
4 • Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Summer 2018
tion with 34-year-old female Sindi in
the Africa Zone. Eventually, the two
will be introduced and on exhibit
together. Introductions of unfamiliar
rhinos can often result in sparring
in both males and females such as
horn-to-horn staring, charging, and
physical contact with superficial
scrapes. This is normal behavior
requiring no intervention. With
increased size and thick skin comes
decreased vulnerability compared to
many other animals. Once the rhi-
nos have established their roles and
territorial boundaries, they usually
will engage in calmer interactions.