KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The Kansas City Zoo has a special rhino kept hidden from the public.
The Kansas City Star reports an eastern black rhinoceros named Imara spends all day inside a barn or a small shaded pen because of a skin condition that makes it dangerous to be in the sun.
Kirk Suedmeyer is the zoo’s head veterinarian. He says Imara has a loss of
melanin granules in the basal layer of her skin, making her vulnerable to direct
sunlight.
Zoo keepers noticed one of Imara’s nostrils turned pink when she was 2 years
old. Suedmeyer says the pink coloring progressed to her limbs and a biopsy
revealed her condition.
Animal manager Katie Muninger calls Imara a “special rhino.”
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