We are devastated to report the death of Eastern Black Rhino bull Kata Kata. He died on 19 October 2018 after a complication following an anesthetic procedure. Kata Kata was sedated in order to obtain samples of semen, because probably natural breeding was not occuring properly between him and the two females living in Bioparc Douè-la-Fontaine (FR), probably due to his old age.

According to the principal sources one of the female called Tisa was inseminated using that sample but it will take some months to know if a pregnancy has occurred.

Tisa and Kata Kata had also a calf together in October 2017, but unfortunately the male didn’t survive the process. Kata Kata was a very important breeding bull for the European black rhino breeding program because he was the only son of rhino couple Bwana Mkubwa and Mama Kidogo so his genes are not represented anywhere. We hope that Tisa will carry the pregnancy to term!

Kata Kata has a full sister called Rosie that lives at Port Lympne (UK) but she is too old for breeding purpose and she never had a baby.