Monica is leaving the Buffalo Zoo. The Indian rhinoceros born at the zoo two years ago is moving to San Diego.
Why is she leaving? The zoo says Monica is moving by the end of October to become part of a breeding program recommended by the National Association of Zoos and Aquariums's Species Survival Plan. The goal of the plan is to help ensure the survival of endangered species, like the Indian rhinoceros.
When Monica was born to mother Tashi in June 2014 it was considered a miracle of science. Monica was the result of artificial insemination that used the frozen DNA of a rhino that had died a decade earlier. Her father, Jimmy, had died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2004. The zoo says Monica currently is the only surviving Indian Rhino from artificial insemination.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park houses the largest group of Indian rhinos in captivity. The species is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and is the largest of all rhino species.
At the start of the 20th century, the zoo says there were fewer than 200 Indian rhinos in the wild. Today, because of strict protection in India and Nepal, there are more than 3,500.
