Our team from the animal department has travelled to the Basel Zoo in Switzerland in order to see first-hand its facilities and projects, especially the work that this veteran zoo does with the Indian rhinoceros.

The team which went to the Basel zoo are Mario Torró, veterinarian, and Inés Llorens and Anna Belice, the zoo keepers expert in the management of Indian Rhinoceros, where in these days they are getting to know the management, daily routines, work procedures and training that are carried out with the Indian rhinoceros in this zoo in order to enrich their own experience and specialisation.

These work trips are very positive because they get to know and share the information extracted from the experience of managing and breeding these species, the scientific data, and ultimately all the work that Terra Natura and the Basel Zoo make for the breeding of endangered species. Both institutions participate in European breeding programmes for endangered species, such as the Indian rhinoceros.

The Basel Zoo is a benchmark in Indian rhinoceros breeding and reproduction programmes; in 1956 they achieved the first birth of an Indian rhinoceros and it is the oldest zoo in Switzerland. They have a strong commitment with the conservation of vulnerable species and environmental sustainability.

Terra Natura Benidorm achieved in 2012 the birth of the first Indian rhinoceros’ baby in a zoo is Spain; later in 2019, another Indian rhinoceros was born in our park. Our park is a benchmark in the conservation of this species where it is estimated that there are only 3,500 specimens left in the wild throughout the world. Despite the threat they suffer, thanks to the conservation programmes developed in situ and in zoos, it has been possible in recent decades to reduce the pressure on their populations and achieve a certain recovery in the number of specimens.