Black rhinos are initially even more aggressive than white rhinos so great care must be taken not to aggravate them unnecessarily. However, they calm down within a few days and ultimately become much tamer than captive white rhinos. All animals are housed individually, except in the case of a cow and her calf. The water trough should only be filled once the animal has settled down after its initial introduction to the pen. The vitamin B complex supplementation can be discontinued as soon as the animal is eating well - usually about 10 days after capture.
Water is given ad lib , and the water trough is emptied and cleaned twice daily.
The pen is then cleaned on a daily basis. It is essential, however, to remove as much old browse and lucerne as possible twice a day from day one. The sand on the floor of the pen must be removed and replaced on a weekly basis. As in the case of the white rhino, deworming of black rhinos is not practised by the Natal Parks Board. The floor of the pen is covered with a thick layer of fine river sand and the water trough is cleaned and emptied before the rhino is off-loaded.