What's Happening in Lansing, MI…

A rare eastern black rhinoceros named Phineus has moved into his new home at Lansing's Potter Park Zoo.

The nine-year-old rhino seems to have adapted well to his relocation, according to an article on WLNS.com. According to Sarah Pechtel, the zoo's general curator, Phineus, has completed his quarantine period, and is now meeting his keepers and forming relationships with them. According to Pechtel, the rhino has personality of his own and she expects he will become favorite of visitors to the facility.

Phineus came to Lansing earlier in the spring, from the Caldwell Zoo, located in Tyler, Texas. He was relocated in the hope he and the Lansing zoo's resident female black rhino, Doppsee, will breed. Their species is listed as critically endangered, with only 57 animals in zoos in North America, and only about 5,000 left in the wild.

Doppsee and Phineus are part of the Black Rhino Species Survival Plan, which is an effort of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. This organization works to save endangered species of all kinds, and actively works with institutions such as the Potter Park Zoo, assisting their conservations efforts.

Only 20 black rhino pairs are recommended for 2017 breeding, and the two now in Lansing are one of the pairs.

On occasions like this, officials often work with a newsletter printing company to create a piece for people who are interested in the zoo and its programs.