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Rhinos Responded Differently to an Unfamiliar Basket

Black rhinoceros in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Research · Behaviour

A cotton-rope basket prompted a wide range of reactions from rhinos in North American zoos. Almost all approached it, but some sniffed and touched it while others snorted, charged or backed away. Black rhinoceroses (Diceros bicornis) showed several of these responses more often than white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum).

Researchers wanted to understand differences in rhino temperament and how that knowledge might help tailor care and activities to individual animals. They combined keepers’ experience with a test in which 32 black and 66 white rhinos encountered the unfamiliar basket for 20 minutes.

More than bold or shy

Keepers who had known the animals for at least six months assessed the temperaments of 49 black and 125 white rhinos. They rated how active, fearful and calm the animals were, as well as their responses to familiar people and strangers.

Black rhinos were rated as more aggressive towards people and more prone to stereotypic behaviour involving repeated movements. White rhinos were described as calmer, friendlier towards strangers and more vocal.

Individual differences could not be reduced to a single scale from bold to shy. Activity and comfort around people were separate aspects of temperament. In white rhinos, researchers also distinguished between animals that reacted strongly to their surroundings and those that remained more unruffled. Females of both species were rated as less active than males, and older white rhinos were less active than younger ones.

Age and surroundings shaped the basket test

When encountering the basket, black rhinos paced, snorted, charged and retreated more often. They also investigated it more frequently through smell and physical contact. White rhinos made short, breathy contact calls more often, particularly females.

Older animals of both species investigated the basket less through smell. In white rhinos, physical contact also declined with age, and both sniffing and touching were less frequent in warmer weather. White rhinos tested indoors attacked the basket more often than those tested outdoors.

The basket test captured one unfamiliar situation, whereas keepers assessed behaviour over time. Researchers found possible links between the two, but these were too uncertain to establish that the basket test could predict keeper assessments of temperament.

Care suited to the individual

The researchers argue that this variation matters for welfare: the same approach will not suit every rhino. An animal uncomfortable around people may need more gradual training for veterinary examinations, while an exploratory animal may benefit from environmental enrichment through new tasks and objects. Being able to choose whether to approach or move away may also matter.

The aim is to use knowledge of each rhino to tailor training, contact with other animals and interactions with people.

Sources and image credit

  1. Mac Leod, K. C., Jones, M. K., Metrione, L. C., & Freeman, E. W. (2026). Temperament assessment of black (Diceros bicornis) and white (Ceratotherium simum) rhinos using keeper temperament surveys and novel object tests. PLOS ONE, 21(9), e0356484.Primary open-access peer-reviewed study published 16 September 2026. Temperament surveys covered 49 black and 125 white rhinoceroses; novel-object tests covered 32 black and 66 white rhinoceroses. The paper identifies multiple temperament dimensions and species-, sex-, age- and context-related differences, while emphasizing that survey and novel-object methods provide complementary information.

Image: Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. Photo: Erasmus Kamugisha / Wikimedia Commons, 25 July 2026. CC BY-SA 4.0. Representative image; not an animal from the study. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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Behaviour

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Species in this story

Black Rhinoceros Diceros bicornis Explore species White Rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum Explore species

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