Foot health is a critical welfare concern for captive rhinoceroses, with overgrowth and joint disease preventable through appropriate substrate, exercise, and proactive veterinary care.
Captive rhinoceros foot health exemplifies how deviation from natural movement patterns creates preventable welfare problems that cascade into chronic pain and life-threatening conditions. The solution requires both environmental redesign — substrate diversity that allows natural wear — and proactive management through regular assessment and trimming. The development of positive reinforcement training programs that enable rhinos to cooperate with foot care without sedation is among the most significant welfare advances in zoo rhinoceros management, eliminating the recurrent welfare cost of repeated anesthetic procedures for routine hoof maintenance.