Watch as we go behind the scenes at Edinburgh Zoo to meet Qabid the adorable one-horned Rhino

We were thrilled to meet Qabid, a very friendly eight-year-old rhino who arrived at Edinburgh Zoo in 2018 from Belgium. The two-tonne rhino is a gentle giant who was very curious about our visit and not afraid to get up close. 

We arrived at his breakfast time, so as he was enjoying his cabbage and carrots, we joined his keeper Catriona Lawson to learn more about Qabid.

Qabid arrived in Edinburgh Zoo in 2018 aged 3 | Nw

Catriona, who has been working with the playful rhino for around a year, said: “Qabid has got a really great character, he’s very friendly, very sweet and loves to play - his favourite thing is putting a bucket on his head and running about the enclosure. He does get the zoomies sometimes.”

Looking after the large animal requires a lot of cleaning, with Catriona spending the morning cleaning his large paddock, replenishing his food and water and cleaning his pool. But she said she considers herself very lucky to work with such a special animal and share a bond with Qabid.

She said: “Being able to get up that close to a rhino is pretty amazing. Obviously as a keeper we have to build their trust and it’s really important that he's comfortable around us when we are touching his face during health checks for example. 

“It's just amazing to be able to touch a one-horned rhino which is not something a lot of people have done in their life and it’s great to be around him and help him have a good life until he goes off and hopefully has babies.”

You can watch the full video by visiting the Daily Motion website.