Lone rhino in Dhaka zoo recovers, still pines for a partner
Se was brought some 15 years ago and has since been without a partner, resulting in her often getting depressed
On 21 January, a Facebook post about an ailing rhinoceros in Dhaka's Mirpur Zoo generated a lot of discussion.
Attached with a photo of the rhino, the caption said, "This Rhino needs medical attention. It can barely move and has lots of infection on the skin. Please, pay attention to this poor animal if anyone is here from the Bangladesh National Zoo [Mirpur]."
The photo was shared by user C S Ponkoj.
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On a visit to the zoo last week, I couldn't catch a glimpse of the rhino. She was indeed ill, and since she fell sick, she barely left the inner recesses of its enclosure.
A few days back, however, the rhino had recovered. This was good news, but there's more to the story.
The rhino – named Kanchi – was brought to Dhaka Zoo some 15-18 years ago, shared an information officer of the zoo, who did not wish to be named.
According to the officer, the rhino faced one problem in particular: lack of a partner.
While the zoo has tried to find it a partner, pandemic travel restrictions meant the attempt failed.
Kanchi has not always been alone. She had a partner who died around 11 years ago.
"You can see it has recovered now, but it gets depressed at times because it doesn't have a partner," the officer said.
Currently there are no plans to bring another rhino to the zoo.
"As long as she is alone, she will keep feeling sad," the officer said.
Rhinos can live up to 38 years in captivity.
Kanchi's plight had gone viral back in 2021.
The Dhaka Zoo has often come under criticism due to the lack of proper care for the animals it houses.
There have also been discussions regarding whether zoos are even necessary, with animal rights activists seeing those as inhumane.
