Csülök Has Begun His Journey to Poland

Csülök, the 8-year-old Indian rhinoceros, has set off for the Wrocław Zoo in Poland, in accordance with the recommendation of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP). As we reported in mid-February, the Czech Dvůr Králové Zoo, which has extensive experience in keeping and transporting rhinoceroses, undertook the task of transporting Csülök to Poland. It was at that time that the 3-ton transport crate arrived—the very crate in which Csülök has now begun his nearly one-day journey.

To make this possible, the keepers at Szeged Zoo had to gradually acclimatize the rhinoceros to the transport crate so that he would enter it voluntarily. The training proved successful, and in the end Csülök could hardly wait to enter the crate each morning in search of his favorite treats.

As a result, the crating procedure and loading onto the transport vehicle went smoothly on Thursday morning. After some initial nervousness, Csülök quickly settled down in the crate once it had been lifted onto the transport truck with the help of a crane.

Before the long journey, the traveler received one final pat, along with some extra apples and carrots. Under the supervision of curator Jiří Hrubý, who arrived from the Czech zoo, Csülök is expected to arrive in Wrocław by the evening. He will be able to leave the transport crate on Friday morning.

We also plan to document the entire relocation process in a short film, covering everything from the preparations to Csülök’s arrival at his new home.

For the time being, Akeno remains alone in Szeged. However, this does not pose a problem, as adult Indian rhinoceroses are solitary animals in the wild as well. Nevertheless, we hope that within the next one or two years Akeno will be paired in Szeged with a female already selected for him by the breeding programme coordinator.