Just a few days ago I read the story of Nepali, the rhinoceros of Hamburg zoo. It was captured and brought to Hamburg in 1930, at that time being the only rhinoceros in Europe for about ten years. It survived the bombing of Hamburg, even though the zoo was destroyed by about 70% by bombing, too.
Of course the last years of WW2 and the after war period weren't easy, but they managed to feed the surviving animals pretty well. So, when the British occupation forces demanded handing over the zoo animals, and especially Nepali the rhinoceros 'for their own best', it was in fact rather a thinly veiled theft. So, for some reason the German authorities saw themselves unable to provide the necessary transport boxes, claiming that they had no wood, and later, no nails for it, and that there was no transport capacity available.
After some months (the 'starving' animals apparently still being in good health), the British provided boxes and transports of their own, and tried to get the animals into them. But the rhinoceros stubbornly refused to enter its box, and finally after some days the British had to leave without it. (Obviously it is not that easy to make a rhinoceros change its mind.)
Years later, the zoo's owner explained why Nepali was so stubborn: At the first night he slathered the wood with tiger's shit, wiped it clean again, and the rhinoceros didn't trust the smell. So, Nepali stayed in Hamburg until its death in 1955 (and longer - today it can be seen at the local Natural History Museum, where I found out about it).
TooShiftyForYou on May 8th, 2017 at 13:18 UTC »
Probably a little awkward to use the toilet with that thing in the room.
trav110 on May 8th, 2017 at 16:19 UTC »
Is that a fucking dinosaur
Corgy on May 8th, 2017 at 17:12 UTC »
Just a few days ago I read the story of Nepali, the rhinoceros of Hamburg zoo. It was captured and brought to Hamburg in 1930, at that time being the only rhinoceros in Europe for about ten years. It survived the bombing of Hamburg, even though the zoo was destroyed by about 70% by bombing, too.
Of course the last years of WW2 and the after war period weren't easy, but they managed to feed the surviving animals pretty well. So, when the British occupation forces demanded handing over the zoo animals, and especially Nepali the rhinoceros 'for their own best', it was in fact rather a thinly veiled theft. So, for some reason the German authorities saw themselves unable to provide the necessary transport boxes, claiming that they had no wood, and later, no nails for it, and that there was no transport capacity available.
After some months (the 'starving' animals apparently still being in good health), the British provided boxes and transports of their own, and tried to get the animals into them. But the rhinoceros stubbornly refused to enter its box, and finally after some days the British had to leave without it. (Obviously it is not that easy to make a rhinoceros change its mind.)
Years later, the zoo's owner explained why Nepali was so stubborn: At the first night he slathered the wood with tiger's shit, wiped it clean again, and the rhinoceros didn't trust the smell. So, Nepali stayed in Hamburg until its death in 1955 (and longer - today it can be seen at the local Natural History Museum, where I found out about it).