Dubbo Western Plains Zoo

Black Rhino

Diceros bicornis minor

Black rhino and baby

Black Rhinos once roamed the lower half of Africa in their thousands. Today they are only found in pockets of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania.

Black rhino resting

Dubbo Zoo has successfully run a black rhino breeding program since 1994.

Close up of black rhino eye and horns

The Black Rhinoceros uses its horns for both attack and defence. It is very protective of its territory, which it marks by spraying urine and stamping in its faeces - depositing the scent with each footstep. The rhino's habit of defecating in the same spots makes it an easy target for poachers.

Photographs by Justin Sullivan. Some text courtesy of Dubbo Western Plains Zoo

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