Denver Zoo's one-horned rhino Rupert dies at 12 after gastrointestinal complications

Rupert, a greater one-horned rhinoceros at the Denver Zoo, died Saturday, Oct. 3, after gastrointestinal complications, the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance announced. He was 12.

The zoo said Rupert declined despite multiple interventions and treatments, including repeated procedures. He died with his caretakers and the zoo's Animal Health team present.

"The first time I met him, he approached me and put his sweet nose in my palm and readily leaned into scratches from all the new people in his life," Night Animal Care Specialist Becky said in the zoo's announcement. "His loss is hard, and the lack of his presence is deeply felt."

Animal care specialists described Rupert as having a silly personality. They said he loved attention, playing with his big ball and lounging in the pool.

Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance Director of Communications Jake Kubie said the zoo has developed resources in recent years to help animal care and health teams cope with the loss of animals. That includes a dedicated group that helps staff find ways to grieve and celebrate the lives of animals they cared for.

"These are huge losses for the whole zoo community, but in particular, the animal care and animal health teams that are so close to them," Kubie said.

Kubie said the group sometimes holds celebration-of-life lunches where employees can share memories and honor animals the zoo has lost.

Rupert's remains will be donated to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for scientific research.

"These animals, their legacy brings so much to the world of science and research even in death," Kubie said. "So it's really a great way to memorialize them."

Rupert arrived in Denver in May from a zoo in San Diego. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan had recommended him for breeding with Tensing, the zoo's 18-year-old female rhino.

The two never formally met, though they lived near each other in the rhino barn. The Denver Zoo said it is not concerned that Rupert's illness was transmissible, and Tensing is healthy.

Rupert is the second rhino to die at the Denver Zoo this year. Rudy, a 32-year-old black rhinoceros, died in May. His remains were also donated to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Kubie said the zoo hopes to bring in another male rhino to potentially pair with Tensing, though there is no timeline yet.

"One of our priorities is to support the species as a whole, and the species survival plans that we work on in collaboration with other accredited zoos across the country are really a priority for us," he said.