A Miami rhino has a starring role in a new movie, and the film crew really needed her

Howard Cohen

Move over, Flipper. There’s a new film star based at a landmark Miami attraction.

Akuti, a greater one-horned endangered Indian rhino at Zoo Miami, made her acting debut in a movie tentatively titled, “Omni Loop,” starring Tony-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker.

Presumably not about the Metromover, “Omni Loop” producers needed scenes featuring the “world’s last greater one-horned rhino” and they hoped Akuti would be preferable to computer-generated imagery.

Would Akuti cooperate?

Action! Akuti, a greater one-horned rhino at Zoo Miami, on the set at Zoo Miami, for her performance in a coming film tentatively titled, “Omni Loop.” The production team and director shot scenes featuring the rhino at Zoo Miami on Sept. 6, 2022.
Action! Akuti, a greater one-horned rhino at Zoo Miami, on the set at Zoo Miami, for her performance in a coming film tentatively titled, “Omni Loop.” The production team and director shot scenes featuring the rhino at Zoo Miami on Sept. 6, 2022.

According to Zoo Miami’ ambassador Ron Magill, Akuti was a natural in front of the camera and the crew got all the shots needed in less than half a day, he posted on Facebook.

“Akuti is indeed a star!” Magill said in an email to the Miami Herald. “She did an amazing job and if they had SAG (Screen Actors Guild) cards for animals, she has definitely earned hers!”

Magill joked that Akuti, who is 10 and arrived at Zoo Miami in 2016, doesn’t have a big ego but she does have a big appetite.

“Her keepers did an excellent job of providing positive reinforcement with some of her favorite treats to get her to hit her marks perfectly. Akuti gobbled up sweet potatoes, apples and celery, along with grains and tree cuttings.

Magill credited the zoo’s animal care staffers Mike Barnes and Eduardo Marrero and the film’s production crew for the smooth filming on Tuesday, too.

Akuti, a greater one-horned rhino at Zoo Miami, takes direction for her co-starring performance in a coming film tentatively titled, “Omni Loop.” The production team and director shot scenes featuring the rhino at Zoo Miami in Kendall on Sept. 6, 2022.
Akuti, a greater one-horned rhino at Zoo Miami, takes direction for her co-starring performance in a coming film tentatively titled, “Omni Loop.” The production team and director shot scenes featuring the rhino at Zoo Miami in Kendall on Sept. 6, 2022.

Magill had worked with the crew on previous projects and they agreed to make a $5,000 donation to Global Conservation Force, a group that helps fight rhino poaching and aids in conservation.

“The film’s director was very pleased with the shots and was surprised by how cooperative Aktui was in her acting debut,” Magill posted, along with some of his photographs from the set.

Akuti, who became a mother at Zoo Miami in April 2019, had a “calm and accommodating demeanor through the shoot,” Magill said.

A greater one horned rhino and its mother, Akuti, will make their public debut at Zoo Miami June 7, 2019.
A greater one horned rhino and its mother, Akuti, will make their public debut at Zoo Miami June 7, 2019.

Already a star

“The reality is that Akuti had already been a bit of a star,” Magill said. She was the first greater one-horned rhino in history to give birth as a result of induced ovulation and artificial insemination combined. “She (and we) consider this to be her greatest achievement and her female offspring, Sarita, to be her greatest legacy,” Magill said.

“Having said that, she is proud to donate her earnings from the film to rhino conservation and hopes that her part will help raise awareness about the plight of rhinos and their struggle for survival.”

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