Cage restraints for rhinoceroses

4Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, Kansas Captive breeding programs for the rhinoceros can be enhanced by studying their reproductive physiology. To do so requires repetitive manipulations under physically controlled circumstances. To facilitate these procedures, zoos throughout the world have constructed restraint devices, or chutes. Chute designs are usually determined by the space in which they are to be situated and the budget available for their construction. In this study, eight chute designs at seven institutions were compared for efficiency in controlling rhinoceroses during ultrasonography, semen collection, and blood sampling. Procedures were conducted on 16 rhinoceroses of four species: the white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum simum), the black (Diceros bicornis), the greater one-horned Asian ( Rhinoceros unicornis), and the Sumatran (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Chutes were evaluated for dimensions, fabricating materials, procedures to be attempted, and structural features such as shoulder restraints. Permanent, indoor, side-adjustable, passthrough chutes were determined to be the most efficient and convenient type because they saved time and reduced stress on the animals. Zoo Biol 17:343‐ 359, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.