Last Farewell to Europe's Last Southern Black Rhino
Things weren't the same anymore. The decision to say goodbye was made on a Wednesday. "It's hard for many of us, having worked with and around him for years," said Frankfurt Zoo director Christina Geiger.
Kalusho, deemed Europe's last southern black rhinoceros, hailed from Zimbabwe. He arrived in Frankfurt in 1989 as part of a rescue program, sharing his home with the rhinoceros cow Tsororo. This situation made Frankfurt the sole keeper of southern black rhinos in all of Europe. Other European zoos held other black rhino subspecies, primarily East African black rhinos.
Southern black rhinos in both zoos and the wild are relatively scarce. They rank among the most endangered species globally. Tsororo herself passed away in Frankfurt back in 2016, and her three offspring were sent back to Africa. The future of Frankfurt's rhino conservation was initially unclear.
Additional Insights:
- Southern black rhinos are critically endangered, largely due to poaching and habitat loss.
- Successful translocation programs have occurred for other rhino species, like the Eastern black rhinos to Akagera National Park in Rwanda.
- Zoos play a vital role in rhino conservation through breeding and reintroduction programs.
Kalusho spent his final years in Frankfurt, a city that had welcomed him from Zimbabwe in 1989. The decision to say farewell was announced on a Wednesday. Christina Geiger, the zoo director, shared her heartbreak over this longtime colleague's departure.
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