Good-bye Shaboola: White rhino at Granby Zoo dies at 45

Shaboola the white rhino, who had been living at Granby Zoo in Quebec has died at age 45. (Granby Zoo)

Those planning to visit Granby Zoo will no longer be able to see one of its most majestic creatures.

The zoo announced this week that Shaboola, the first female white rhinoceros born in Canada, has died at 45 years old.

“Some news is more painful than others to share: it is with a heavy heart that Granby Zoo says its final good-byes to Shaboola, the female white rhinoceros, this morning,” the zoo said on social media. “With her medical condition having deteriorated in recent weeks, significantly affecting her quality of life, the decision was made by our animal care experts to gently lead her to her final breath.”

K.C., the 21-year-old male rhino, will now be the zoo’s lone white rhino.

Shaboola was born at the Toronto Zoo and lived almost a decade past the animal’s average life expectancy (36).

“We’re story to hear this news,” the Toronto Zoo said. “The staff and volunteers of the Toronto Zoo are thinking of your teams during this difficult time. Her legacy will continue to endure here in Canada.”

Shaboola was the oldest white rhino in a Canadian zoo and the third oldest in North America, according to Granby Zoo.

“The quality of her care, the dedication of the animal care staff and the quality of the facilities available to her meant that Shaboola was able to enjoy almost a half-century of peaceful life, punctuated by the many little pleasures she received from her technicians on a daily basis: they were all very attentive to her needs,” the zoo said.

The zoo said Shaboola’s condition had declined in recent weeks, and she had lived with suspected osteoarthritis for about a decade.

In addition, she had severe dental problems, chronic kidney failure and chronic foot problems that reduced her mobility.

The World Wildlife Fund says there are around 16,800 white rhinos remaining in the wild, primarily in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

Facts about white rhinos

• The name comes from the Afrikaans word “weit” which refers to the animal’s wide mouth.
• They are the second largest land mammal, growing between five and six feet and weighing up to 8,000 lbs.
• Male rhinos are called bulls, and females are cows. Babies are calves.
• A group of rhinos is called crash.
• The rhino’s horn is made of keratin.