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UW researchers exhume rhino

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The body of a 3,200-pound white rhinoceros has been buried near Picnic Point at the UW-Madison campus since 1983. Wednesday, staff members from the zoology, geology and wildlife ecology departments plan to excavate the skeletal remains — again.

The rhino died a natural death in Milwaukee County Zoo almost two decades ago. Buried at Picnic Point to allow for natural forces to decompose the body, the rhino’s skeleton was intended to be used for research and be included in the Zoological Museum’s skeletal collection in 1995. But when the rhino was unearthed that year, scientists found more rhino than expected.

When former Museum Curator John Dallman and his crew reached the rhino, some fleshy ligaments were still connected to the bones. They reburied the body.

But Dallman said this time, the rhino remains, whether they’re ready or not, are coming out — unless weather is bad.

The National Weather Service said there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday in western and northern Wisconsin as a cold front moves from the Plains to northwestern Wisconsin.

Spectators can view the excavation near the base of Picnic Point Wednesday, but cannot expect to see a full rhinocerous: its head was been removed before burial to protect the horn.

The rhino is the last of several other large animals, including a giraffe and elephant, to be excavated by researchers from the Zoological Museum.