ABSTRACT

The birth of two eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) calves (0.2) at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, IA offered an opportunity to collect normative data for the first six months of calf development. Both calves successfully stood within 76 minutes of birth. Nursing first occurred at approximately 130 minutes. First defecation occurred within 1-2 days. Body weight increased by approximately 1.2 kg/day. Activity budgets for the first six months of the calves’ lives revealed that they spent a substantial proportion of their time resting, followed by standing, walking, and eating, respectively. Nursing duration increased gradually over the study period. Calves spent the majority of their time throughout the first six months in close proximity to the cow. Interactions with inanimate features of the environment began early, and no clear developmental pattern was evident in the data. These data can serve as the initial entry in a public record of developmental information for this species and as a reference point for other zoos, assisting them in monitoring the health and proper development of black rhinoceros calves and maximizing their welfare.

摘要

两只东部黑犀牛（ Diceros bicornis michaeli）的诞生) 小牛 (0.2) 在得梅因的空白公园动物园，爱荷华州提供了收集小牛发育前六个月的规范数据的机会。两只小牛在出生后 76 分钟内成功站立。护理首先发生在大约 130 分钟。第一次排便发生在 1-2 天内。体重增加约1.2公斤/天。小牛出生后前六个月的活动预算表明，它们大部分时间都在休息，其次分别是站立、行走和进食。在研究期间，护理时间逐渐增加。在最初的六个月里，小牛大部分时间都在靠近母牛的地方度过。与环境的无生命特征的相互作用很早就开始了，数据中没有明显的发展模式。