Keeper's Tale
A collected from the animal keepers at Hollywild Animal Park. The keepers interact with the animals daily and offer insight into the behind-the-scenes and personal nature of the animals at the park
Keeping a Rhino Clean
Animal Staff member Brad Ferea once feared Hollywild’s famous African white rhinoceros, “Tank.” Now the two are best buddies.
“He’s so much like a pet,” Ferea explained.
Tank is one of the Park’s biggest Zooperstars, both in size and the number of film credits he’s had. Most Park visitors have a hard time seeing his pet-like qualities, even though some have seen him on TV in Zicam, Land Rover, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield and other commercials.
Standing at a whopping 6,000 lbs. and with a massive horn, it’s no wonder the keeper who’d only worked with horses before felt a bit intimidated by tackling his new duties. But now, Tank comes when Brad calls him and loves the attention his keeper gives him. As would happen on a safari in Africa, Tank’s skin gets dry and scaly. Brad will hose him down and bathe him, but instead of the soft loofa people use to refresh their skin, Tank gets a stiff brush (like those on a heavy duty broom) and a board.
“It’s like having someone scratch your back - he loves it just as much as people do,” Ferea said.
Tank eats through a 50 pound bag of grain a day, plus two bales of hay and a variety of vegetables and fruits. His favorite Ferea says, is pineapple. Tank’s teeth are set far back in his mouth and though he can’t see well, his excellent sense of smell draws him right to his meals. His snout is broad across the front and his ‘lips’ are large. They don’t have to open much so when you watch him eat, it almost looks like a vacuum cleaner picking up the food.
One of Tank’s most notable features are his horns, but in fact a rhino’s horn is not a true horn. It is made from thickly matted hair that is not supported within the skeleton as true horns are. It is prized in many Asian cultures for medical and ornamental uses. Tank once injured his front horn when he was 3 years old. A new one grew in its place. Rhino ‘horns’ can grow up to 3 inches per year.
Tank was born at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida and came to Hollywild from Ringling Brothers.
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