FINNEY COUNTY —Staff at the Lee Richardson Zoo are mourning the loss of eastern black rhinoceros “Jabari."
On Tuesday the zoo reported their Animal Care Staff entered the rhino barn on July 11 and found the Zoo’s eldest male rhino deceased, according to a statement from the zoo. A necropsy was performed, and the final results are pending.
Jabari was born in 2013 and arrived at the Zoo in May of 2016 as part of the Association of Zoo & Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for Eastern Black Rhinoceros, a critically endangered species.
The SSP matched Jabari with resident female rhino “Johari”. The pair was a success and welcomed their son “Ayubu” in January of 2021. “Jabari was definitely a favorite for many staff and guests. He was a gentle giant who absolutely loved melons and pumpkins. He would eat the whole thing in a matter of minutes.
He will be greatly missed,” said Animal Keeper Jarrett Ho. Black rhinos can currently be found in 12 countries in Africa with fewer than 6,500 individuals remaining in the wild. Populations of black rhinos decreased by 96% between 1970 and 1993, due to poaching.
Rhinos are illegally hunted due to the demand for their horn (which is made of keratin, the same material as your hair and fingernails) on the black market. Since 1996, conservation efforts, including intense anti-poaching efforts and translocation to safer areas, have allowed the species to slowly recover.