After months of discussion with the South African government, the International Rhino Foundation, and the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, arrangements were made to acquire a female black rhino from Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. In preparation for the transfer, Alan Sironen, the Zoo s curator of mammals, and Dr. Tony Lesh, the Zoo s consulting veterinarian, traveled to South Africa to become acquainted with Inge. They, along with Dr. Peter Morkel, chief veterinarian at Addo accompanied Inge during the entire transfer. Following flights from Johannesburg through Amsterdam to JFK Airport in New York, Inge arrived in her specially designed crate by truck at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on July 2, 1997. Inge and Spike could see each other in their neighboring enclosures and Spike had occasional access to Inge s indoor enclosure when she was outdoors, but the two were kept separated.
Black rhinos can be very aggressive toward one another during non-estrus periods.
Preparing Inge to meet and mate with Spike was a carefully planned but long, slow process. First, animal keepers worked on behavioral training so Inge would cooperate with daily blood drawings. The blood was analyzed for the hormone, progesterone, allowing Zoo staff to predict her reproductive cycle. Records were also kept on both rhinos' behaviors so physiological data, such as hormone levels, could be correlated with behavioral cues. Inge did not have predictable cycles until 1999, perhaps because of her young age or change of environment following her transfer.