CUMBERLAND, Ohio — The Wilds and five other animal organizations have teamed up to protect and save rhinos.
Together, the organizations formed the American Institute of Rhinoceros Science (AIRS), which The Wilds say is a model for saving species that are off-site or outside natural habitats.
AIRS will focus on research needs of rhinos in zoos that were identified by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' (AZA) Rhinoceros Research Council in 2019, which are:
- Physical fitness and its relation to health
- Iron storage in browsing rhinos
- Reproductive success
- Behavioral and environmental factors that maximize rhino well-being
Over the next three years, scientists will conduct research within each category on overlapping subjects and examine the effect across all four categories.
Part of AIRS' goal is to provide affordable and feasible management recommendations to veterinarians and animal care staff at the 74 AZA facilities that are caring for rhinos.
AIRS is made up of The Wilds, the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo, Disney's Animal Kingdom, George Mason University, the South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction & Conservation and Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
The AIRS operations will be located at The Wilds
Dan Beectem, the director of animal management at The Wilds, says the AIRS coalition will help maximize the efforts of helping rhinos.
"In addition to helping rhinos, we hope that the knowledge we gain can also lead to developing and applying scientific models that benefit other species at risk in their native ranges,” said Dan Beetem, director of Animal Management at The Wilds.
The AIRS team was made possible by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
