Paphos zoo welcomes two white rhinos and two sun bears (videos)

Two white rhinoceros, and two sun bears, the newest additions to the animals at Paphos zoo, are settling into their new enclosures, officials said on Tuesday.

The zoo’s deputy director and veterinarian Ioulios Christoforou told reporters that the rhinos were moved from another zoo located in South Africa.

The animals were welcomed on March 31, with a video posted on the zoo’s social media.

“Our family is growing. Just two days ago we welcomed to our zoo two beautiful White Rhinoceros!” the post read.

Christoforou added that these animals can live from 40 to 50 years, and that the ones now housed at the zoo are quite young, at three and two years old.

They are already quite large, and are expected to double and triple in size, to reach up to four tonnes, he said. White rhinoceros are endangered as a result of being poached for their horns.

In a newer video posted the next day, the rhinos were shown in their new enclosure.

“Our Rhinos are settling in well and they consume large amounts of hay,” the zoo wrote, adding that they are more active at night.

The deputy director said that the zoo has also welcomed two sun bears from Indonesia, after extensive research and a process that took five years.

He said that he himself went to the particular zoo in Indonesia for training so that the transition would be smoother.

“Bears are quite particular and sensitive animals, so air conditioning has been installed in their enclosure to make sure they adapt properly,” he said.

As bears are not as social as rhinos, they will take longer to acclimatize than the rhinos, he added.

The sun bear is the smallest bear in the world, and the bears at Paphos zoo are the only two of its kind in Europe.