PHOENIX — From California to Arizona, a greater one-horned rhinoceros is the newest member — and newest species — at the Phoenix Zoo.
"Chutti the cutie" is the first greater one-horned rhino at the zoo and has already started making Phoenix feel like home.
Chutti, pronounced choo-tea, was recently transferred from the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, California. Those who've met Chutti said he's rambunctious, agile and spunky. Chutti is as relaxed as a rhino can actually be and seemingly loves food.
The rhino is currently held in the former elephant yard along the zoo's Tropics Trail. His neighbors, Sheena and Indu, are the zoo's two Asian elephants. Staff said Indu is already a big fan of Chutti but Sheena is still making her mind up about him.
The 6-year-old rhino will be able to celebrate his seventh birthday on Nov. 27.
The greater one-horned rhino, also known as the Indian rhino, is the second largest of all rhino species. They have a single, black horn between 20-60 cm long and a grey-brown hide with skin folds, giving the animal an armor-plated appearance.
There were only 600 of the greater one-horned rhinos left in the wild in 1975, but according to the World Wildlife Fund, the species increased to 3,500 in India and Nepal by mid-2015.
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