SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – PJ – the rare Greater one-horned rhino at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens – isn’t moving out of Florida just yet, giving fans more time to interact with him.
What we know:
The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens said Tuesday, Oct 14 that PJ, who is set to move to the Buffalo Zoo in Buffalo, New York, was unable to travel due to his travel crate being too small.
The zoo’s Rhino Encounters attraction – through which visitors can meet, touch and have photo opportunities with PJ – was closed Aug. 31, but will now re-open Oct. 17, the zoo announced, as PJ will remain in Florida one more winter.
This gives more time for people to be able to interact with PJ.
PJ’s move to Buffalo will happen sometime around Spring 2026, the zoo said, citing the chilly and cold winter weather that Buffalo experiences.
The backstory:
PJ was set to transfer to Buffalo Zoo as part of the Species Survival Plan, Central Florida Zoo said in July 2025. PJ has been with the Central Florida Zoo since May 2013.
One of approximately 4,000 Greater one-horned rhinos in the world, PJ will take part in the Species Survival Plan – a critical conservation effort that facilitates passing on his genes and growing his species population.
Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens entrance sign. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
What we don’t know:
With JP eventually moving on, the zoo said it is expecting another rhino to move on. However, when that will happen now isn’t known yet.
“The Zoo will continue its rhino conservation efforts and welcome another rhino from an AZA-accredited facility after PJ’s move,” a zoo spokesperson said in a statement to FOX 35.
“AZA” stands for the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
What’s next:
Visitors can interact with PJ at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens starting Oct. 17 at the zoo’s Rhino Encounters attraction.
Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, guests can schedule a time between 11:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. to meet PJ and learn from zookeepers about PJ and his species. Tickets cost $30 for non-pass holders and $25 for annual pass holders with a portion on the purchase supporting the International Rhino Foundation’s rhino conservation efforts, the zoo said.
More information can be found on Central Florida Zoo’s website.
The Source: The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens announced on Facebook that PJ will stay at the zoo through Winter 2025 due to his travel crate being too small, despite his planned Fall 2025 departure to the Buffalo Zoo.