Oregon Zoo - About Imara

Imara's Birth and Farewell

Baby Rhino Born

Baby Imara Miadi, the Oregon Zoo's black rhino, gave birth to a female calf at 1:37 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, 1997. Mother and child are both doing well. This is the first rhino ever born at the zoo, and is believed to be the first black rhino born in the Pacific Northwest.

Miadi went into labor around 12:45 a.m. Thirty minutes after the birth, the calf was standing and shortly thereafter was able to walk. The baby looks incredibly strong and you couldn't ask for a better mom," said Michael Illig, senior Africa keeper. "Miadi is doing everything right and was very attentive to her new baby from the moment she saw it."

The new father, Pete, is in a separate holding area and will remain there. Rhino fathers do not help in the raising of offspring.

Miadi became pregnant in June of 1996. Ten-year-old Pete and nine-year-old Miadi were both born in zoos and were paired up in Portland with the hope that they would produce a calf.

Female black rhinos of breeding age are rare and Miadi's line is not well-represented in the population. If the new baby is a female, it will be a very significant birth, since the vast majority of recent births have been males. The black rhino is a species that has not reproduced well in captivity. There have only been 10 births over the past four years. In the wild, due to habitat loss and poaching, the black rhino population has plummeted from 65,000 to less than 2,400.

The Oregon Zoo, along with 26 other zoological institutions,cooperates in a black rhino Species Survival Plan (SSP). The plan is a cooperative breeding program that hopes to provide a sustainable, genetically diverse population in North American institutions.

June 1999

Goodbye, Imara!

With the hope of increasing the world's black rhino population, the Oregon Zoo and thousands of fans must say farewell to Imara, the zoo's young rhino. She will begin her 2 1/2-day trip by climate-controlled truck to the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Tuesday.

"It's going to be tough seeing Imara leave," said Chris Pfefferkorn, the Oregon Zoo's animal collection manager, "But we know it's good for the rhino population."

Imara, which means "strong" in Swahili, will eventually be paired with a male rhino of similar age when she reaches sexual maturity in three to four years. Of the last 25 black rhino births in North America, only five have been female. As a result, female black rhinos of breeding age are rare, so Imara's potential role as a mother is important in helping preserve the species. Only about 2,500 of the endangered black rhinos remain in the wild.

Her parents, Pete and Miadi, were separated prior to her birth on Sept. 26, 1997, but were reunited two months ago. Breeding has been observed, and hopes are high the pair will produce another offspring.

The first black rhino born in the Northwest, Imara stole the hearts of zoo employees and visitors, and was the star of the zoo's web site camera, which generated over a million hits in its debut month. Her growth has been followed by web surfers worldwide.

"There's always an emotional attachment, especially with such a good animal like this," Pfefferkorn said. "We're all going to miss her."

UPDATE!
Imara is a big hit at her new home, according to Sandy Krom of the Great Plains Zoo. Their visitors are surprised she's as large as she is. Everyone asks, "Is that the BABY?!"

Pictures of Imara in her new home at the Great Plains Zoo
Imara at her new home

Imara Fan Club

Read responses from other Imara fans, then us with your own thoughts and remembrances of watching Imara on the RhinoCam, or at the zoo.
You may write to Imara c/o Great Plains Zoo, 805 South Kiwanis Ave., Sioux Falls, S.D. 57104-3714. Their brand new web site features Imara prominently,and can be found at www.gpzoo.org.

The following are responses from zoo and RhinoCam visitors who will miss Imara.

I think you'll have a good time in your new home and I hope you'll meet some new friends too.

Your friend,

Terry Love
Age 6

We have been enjoying the Rhino cam on our new computer. We also watch Shamu at SeaWorld in San Diego. Sometimes we watch both at the same time.
We are looking forward to coming to the zoo soon. We haven't seen the newest Exhibit of the Rocky Mt. Sheep yet.
Goodbye Imara have a safe trip!

the Love family

I have regularly checked in on Imara and am very sorry to see her go. Please will you keep this cam on another creature so that we will have someone to watch.

Yours faithfully,

Lisa Carr
Brighton, East Sussex, England

I have really enjoyed watching Imara on your RhinoCam. I live in Sioux Falls and am looking forward to seeing Imara in person as soon as she is put on public display.
I understand how you are going to miss her, but rest assured that Sioux Falls will take very good care of her. Ed Asper knows a lot about African animals and is a very good "zoo keeper". With his leadership our zoo has grown and progressed tremendously.
Thank you for letting us in Sioux Falls have the opportunity to enjoy Imara.

Michael McCormick

My husband and I watched you every day. When the office got too busy and we needed a break to calm us, we logged on to see you. You are a joy to behold. I will miss you so much. I am looking forward to your new web site and hope you will have a Rhino-cam there. And I'm hoping your parents have a little sister for you soon too. God speed Imara and your quest for a happy baby of your own.

Deborah Martin

I will miss Imara. I went to the zoo about 3 or 4 times in one month, and would run by all the other animals to the Africa exhibit to see Imara. She was so cute. I will miss her.

Love,
Rachel Lloyd

I've really enjoyed watching Imara grow up on the Rhino Cam. She's so pretty and sweet and I will miss watching her. When she was on the Rhino Cam, I would check on her a couple of times a week to see how she was doing.
Rhinos are my favorite zoo animals. I have adopted two rhinos at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago (which is closer to where I live), and one of them is a baby who is a few months younger than Imara.
I am glad to know that Imara is happy in her new home, and am looking forward to seeing her on the Sioux Falls web site. The Rhino Cam is a great idea and I hope that there will be many more baby rhinos for us to watch in the future.

Vicki V.
Rantoul, Illinois

G'day,
This is Ryan (Rhino) Brinkworth from Brisbane, Australia. It was really sad to see that Imara has shifted homes. I visited Imara's old place very regularly via the internet.
I sure will miss seeing her. I often stopped doing important work just to watch Imara for 10 minutes or so. She's beautiful.

Sharing your sorrow from DownUnder,
Ryan/Rhino.

Feel free to us with your thoughts and remembrances of watching Imara on the RhinoCam, or at the zoo.You may write to Imara c/o Great Plains Zoo, 805 South Kiwanis Ave., Sioux Falls, S.D. 57104-3714. Their web site can be viewed at www.gpzoo.org.