ZOO bosses are reassuring worried animal lovers, after a video of its male rhinoceros apparently attacking another rhino was posted on the internet.
A video of Otto seemingly bullying and assaulting Flossy in the enclosure at Colchester Zoo, has left some YouTube viewers concerned for her welfare.
However, keepers at the zoo, in Stanway, have assured people while the incident looks nasty on camera and may have been alarming to witness, it was actually very mild and simply part of the animals’ daily behaviour.
A visitor filmed Tuesday’s incident on a mobile phone, and posted it on the video-sharing website hours later.
The description online reads: “Otto the white rhino attacking female rhino in the zoo! Blood dripping from her, she could barely stand after.”
The zoo’s rhino curator, Sarah Forsyth, said both animals are in good health, and neither suffered any lasting injuries from the fight.
She added: “It always looks worse than it actually is. Both rhinos were fine the next day, although Flossy was a bit stiff.
“Otto is a young male and Flossy is the dominant female, so he is always picking on her. We accept it may appear worrying, but we cannot control animal behaviour. This is completely natural.”
Flossy is now in a separate enclosure and is being slowly reintroduced to Otto.
To view the video, go to youtube.com and search for “rhinos colchester zoo”
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