King, a 3,000-Pound Black Rhinoceros, Is the Oregon Zoo’s Newest Resident

A female companion will join King in the new Rhino Ridge habitat later this fall.

Oregon Zoo King the Black Rhino King, a 3,000-pound eastern black rhinoceros, has moved in at the Oregon Zoo’s new Rhino Ridge. Photo by Michelle Schireman, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.
By Andi Prewitt

The Oregon Zoo just got a new 3,000-pound resident.

King, a black rhinoceros from Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo, is now out and about in the outdoor quarters of his habitat, which means guests can probably catch sight of the transplant. The 8-year-old actually arrived in Portland on Sept. 10.

“If he’s outside, he’ll be hard to miss,” Kelly Gomez, who oversees the zoo’s rhino area, stated in a press release. “So far, he’s settling in really well, with a lot of attention and encouragement from his care staff.”

King is living in one of the venue’s newest areas: Rhino Ridge, one of eight major projects made possible by the Metro zoo bond measure passed in 2008. Work was completed with a $1.2 million investment by donors to the Oregon Zoo Foundation.

The rhino attraction, which opened this year, features a lowered viewing area for close-up encounters, a demonstration pavilion, where caregivers train the animals to participate in their own care, and information about how to help rhinos in their native countries.

King belongs to the eastern subspecies of black rhinoceros, which is considered critically endangered. In 2011, the western subspecies was declared extinct.

“Poaching and the illegal wildlife trade have wiped out 96% of the world’s black rhino population,” Gomez says. “In South Africa alone, we’re losing almost a rhino a day. Hopefully, we can help inspire a new chapter in the conservation of this incredible species.”

King’s transfer to Portland was recommended by the Species Survival Plan: a cooperative among accredited zoos to promote genetically diverse and self-sufficient populations of threatened species.

If you happen to spot King roaming his enclosure all alone and worry about his lack of social life, there’s good news: A female companion is scheduled to become his roommate later this fall.

Here is new video of the big boy trotting around and munching on some roughage:

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