Howard the rhino, 27, dies at Phoenix Zoo
Sep 29, 2024, 8:00 PM
(Phoenix Zoo)
PHOENIX — Howard the rhino died at the age of 27, the Phoenix Zoo announced on Sunday. The male rhino was euthanized after suffering from meningitis and sepsis.
Howard, a southern white rhinoceros, was euthanized after veterinarians and keepers determined the rhino was not responsive to treatment. Initial results conveyed the rhino suffered from meningitis and sepsis. Additional pathology tests will provide more information in the coming weeks.
“Howard was an easy-going rhino who always enjoyed interacting with his keepers. He was always happy to spend time near his keepers for as long as he could convince anyone to stand still and scratch him. He will be greatly missed by everyone on the Hoofstock team,” the team said in a statement. A hoofstock is an animal that is a member of the horse family.
Howard was born in Florida at White Oak Conservation Center in 1997 and first came to Phoenix in 2020 after a 31-hour journey from the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida.
The Phoenix Zoo’s female white rhino, LouLou, is still alive and is the zoo’s last rhino of the species.