Zoo Atlanta’s 2-year-old rhino dies after brief illness
Courtesy of Zoo Atlanta
ATLANTA - Zoo Atlanta’s Zuri, a 2-year-old southern white rhino and the first of her species born at the zoo, died Nov. 6 after a brief illness.
Zuri’s health and behavior sharply declined earlier this week. Blood tests showed severe anemia, and the veterinary team administered extensive treatment, including an emergency transfusion using compatible blood from adult female rhino Dakari and blood donated by other Association of Zoos and Aquariums facilities. Despite the treatment and intensive care, Zuri continued to decline.
"This is a devastating loss for the Zoo Atlanta team," said Sam Rivera, DVM, the zoo’s vice president of animal health. "The loss of Zuri is crushing not only because she was such a young animal who was treasured as an individual, but also because she was an incredibly valuable member of her vulnerable species. While it is too early for us to presume on any specific cause, we are hopeful that pathology reports will tell us more about Zuri’s condition."
Zuri was born at Zoo Atlanta on Christmas Eve in 2023, the first offspring of mother Kiazi and father Mumbles. Her name, which is of Swahili origin and can mean "beautiful," was selected through the zoo’s 2024 "Rhino Naming Madness" contest, which drew more than 4,000 votes.
Zuri spent much of her time with Dakari, whom the zoo described as her "aunt." The Rhino Care Team is closely monitoring Dakari and Kiazi and providing them extra care following the loss of their herd-mate.
Southern white rhinos are the largest of the five rhino species. Despite their name, they are not white; the name is believed to come from the Afrikaans word wyd, meaning "wide," a reference to the shape of the animals’ upper lips.
The species is classified as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Poaching for horns threatens rhinos, and southern white rhinos can be especially vulnerable because their tendency to travel in herds can make them easier for poachers to locate. Rhino horn is made of keratin, the same substance found in human hair and fingernails, and has no known medicinal value.
Zoo Atlanta supports white rhinos in Namibia through the International Rhino Foundation. The program is one of seven supported by the zoo’s Mabel Dorn Reeder Conservation Endowment Fund in 2026.
A necropsy will be conducted through the zoo’s partnership with the University of Georgia Zoo and Exotic Animal Pathology Service in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Preliminary results are expected in several weeks.