23-Jun-09 8:00 AM CST

Toe Injury Keeping Oklahoma City Zoo Rhino Out of Sight

The new rhino at the Oklahoma City Zoo is being kept off display because of a minor toe fracture.

The 2½-year-old female arrived May 21 from the Bronx Zoo in New York.

Zoo staff members noticed Niki hobbling shortly after she arrived, and the zoo veterinarian diagnosed the broken toe from X-rays, zoo spokeswoman Tara Henson said.

Experts aren’t sure how Niki injured her toe.

The rhino was expected to stay off exhibit for several days as she adjusted to her new surroundings, but her toe injury will keep her out of the public eye for a while longer, Henson said. Her Oklahoma City exhibit allows guests to be much closer to Niki than the exhibit she lived in at the Bronx Zoo. Henson said the zoo staff wants to be sure she won’t be startled and hurt her foot further.

"It’s going to be up to her (when she will go on public display). She’s got to be comfortable with people,” Henson said. "Right now, we want her to stay mellow.”

Niki was brought to Oklahoma City to mate with Chandra, a 24-year-old male, as part of a nationwide program called a species survival plan, said Laura Bottaro, mammal curator at the Oklahoma City Zoo. They likely won’t mate for at least a year.

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