Monarto Zoo swaps southern white rhino Kibibi with Australia Zoo’s Savannah

IT’S an epic road trip that two zoos are hoping will lead to new rhinoceros romances.

IT’S an epic road trip that two zoos are hoping will lead to new rhinoceros romances.

Monarto Zoo on Monday began a “wife-swap” involving female white rhino Kibibi — which means princess in Swahili — and Savannah, a five-year-old southern white rhino from Australia Zoo in Queensland.

Zoo curator of life sciences Beth Pohl said that after weeks of planning the logistics, Kibibi was lured into a crate.

Monarto keepers had to train Kibibi to enter the crate, encouraging her with food, and then quickly shutting the door.

Kibibi the rhino is loaded on to a truck at Monarto Zoo, as she heads to Queensland in a rhino zoo exchange. Picture: Haidee Kinter, Zoos SA

Kibibi is lured into the truck. Picture: Haidee Kinter, Zoos SA

Kibibi get settled in for the trip. Picture: Haidee Kinter, Zoos SA

“White rhinos are pretty food oriented when it comes to ... high-quality hay that they don’t get very often,” she said.

A crane was then used to lift her on to the back of a truck for the 24-hour drive to her new home.

“They are given a bit of a calming agent but they are definitely awake,” Ms Pohl said.

“They’ll stop and give her freshwater and a bit of hay.”

A larger crate was also loaded on the truck, so Kibibi could be swapped with Australia Zoo’s white rhino Savannah, who was the victim of a dominant female in her herd.

Ms Pohl said a dominant female can suppresses the cycle of other female rhinos, so keepers needed to “change things up” to encourage breeding.

Monarto agreed to swap with Australia Zoo in Queensland because “there is no ownership of animals that are managed”, Ms Pohl said.

“They’re kind of owned by the region and they’re meant to be traded and moved as needed.”

Kibibi had previously been in a breeding situation but did not show any interest.

Savannah is due to leave Australia Zoo this weekend and arrive at Monarto early next week. She will then be quarantined for 30 days before being integrated into the female herd.

“She’ll be one of the three females we have and all of them can breed,” Ms Pohl said.

“Their gestation is about a year and a half so it takes a while to turn them around.”