Wild animals, when seen up close, feel so much more massive than your brain ever prepared for. They’re also majestic, humbling, and absolutely worthy of protection.
So when you go to the zoo, as much as you’re looking at the striking animals, you’re also eyeing their enclosure. During his most recent zoo visit, at least one Kentucky man surely did.
As Brian Bishop (@brianbishop13) was gazing at the rhinoceros exhibit, he was paying more attention to the fence than the rhino itself. That’s because, well, it was rather small for such a large creature.
His 7-second TikTok pans across the nailed-together fence.
“You’re telling me this fence is supposed to hold in,” he says, zooming in close to the rhino, “that?”
Though he doesn’t raise his voice, it changes just enough to emphasize the absurd size difference between him and the animal.
It also sounds like maybe he’s talking to his 3-year-old. A solid dad move to make the kids giggle and goggle.
Animal Advocacy And Safety Speculation
And since the video has garnered 172,600 views, it seems the internet wants to know, too. He’s captioned the video “Hungry, Hungry, Hippo.”
“Have you ever seen a rhino jump? You’re fine,” one viewer said.
“He’s shy look at him,” another joked.
“No, the trench and retaining wall keep the animal in,” pointed out another sharp viewer. “The little fence keeps people from falling into the pit.”
And in a TikTok direct message to BroBible, Bishop admitted his little trick of the eye. “People in the comments caught what I did. Camera angles made it seem that there isn’t a drop off, but it was definitely a drop off enough for a rhino to not get out,” he said.
One viewer imagined the rhino’s thoughts about the fence (and humans). They quipped, “THIS fence is supposed to keep ALL OF THEM out?–probably the rhino.”
Zoo Enclosures And Endangered Rhinos
Maybe the latter commenter is onto something, and the animals need protection from us more than we need it from them.
Right now, only about 26,699 rhinos exist on the planet. In 1900, there were about 500,000. The main causes for their population loss are poaching, habitat loss, and conflict or corruption.
With a valuation of about $45,000 per horn, the poaching networks are vast, organized, and ruthless. Often, they’re intertwined with illegal weapons sales. Some traditional Asian medicines value the horn. Other buyers see it as a luxury status symbol, not unlike a rare watch.
Poaching is such a huge problem that some zoos and sanctuaries will dehorn their rhinos to prevent the animals’ death at the hands of poachers. “Throughout the 1990s, no dehorned rhinos were poached in Namibia [and] in the Greater Kruger region of South Africa, it enabled a 78% reduction in incidents,” reports the site Save the Rhino.
As for Bishop and his family, he says when they visit the zoo, “We like the giraffes, seals, and gorillas!”
@brianbishop13 hungry hungry Hippo #louisvillezoo #dadlife #zoo #rhino