15-Year-Old One-Horned Rhino Jontu Euthanized After Complex Gut Illness in Omaha Zoo

A one-horned rhino named Jontu was euthanized in an Omaha zoo due to a complex gut condition. The rhino was then 15 years old.

Following complications with an illness, a beloved rhino at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium passed away.

Jontu the One-Horned Rhino of Omaha Zoo

The 15-year-old male Greater one-horned rhino known as Jontu had been receiving veterinary care for a digestive disorder for weeks when his condition deteriorated, and on Tuesday, March 28, he was put to death. In the course of his treatment, Jontu's partial intestinal obstruction was determined to be incurable. Jontu arrived at the Omaha Zoo in May 2011 and resided in the Asian Highlands exhibit.

After spending the majority of his life in Omaha, Dan Cassidy, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium vice president for animal management, said that Jontu was an outstanding ambassador for greater one-horned rhinos. Both the Omaha community and the Zoo family will miss him dearly. Cassidy sent his condolences to the Zoo staff members who had been taking care of him every day.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium claims that Jontu was renowned for being gentle and calm.

The zoo's Hoofstock and Rhino Senior Keeper, Jami Ruether, expressed his regret for Jontu and said he will miss the departed rhino's hello snorts. The trainer will also miss giving Jontu mud baths in the winter, training, and just being around him. He said that as a beloved character, Jontu will be sorely missed.

Marshall, Jontu's son, continues to reside at the Omaha Zoo, carrying on his father's legacy. Additionally, his daughter, Joona, resides at the Denver Zoo right now, 6News WOWT reports.

Also Read: Rhinos Down to 400 as Poaching Intensifies in Botswana 

Greater One-Horned Rhinos

Only rhinos have horns that are located on the nose rather than the crown of their heads. The horn, which is made of compacted hair or keratin, is used for both self-defense and plow-hunting for food. Rhino babies are born without horns, but they quickly develop horns that continue to grow throughout the rhinos' lives.

The greater one-horned rhino's habitat consists of tropical grasslands, along with the nearby flood plains and forests. They favor dense forests and high grasslands.

According to Denver Zoo, Greater one-horned rhinos are mostly found in protected areas such as wildlife reserves and national parks in Northeastern India and Nepal.

The skin of greater one-horned rhinos is deeply folded and gray. They have a distinctive armor-plated appearance due to tubercles or lumps that resemble rivets that are accentuated on the skin.

They are 4000-6600 pounds in weight. Males can grow to a length of 12.5 feet and can stand 5 to 6 feet tall at the shoulder, making them larger than females. A single, dark horn, measuring up to 21 inches long, is present on the noses of both sexes.

From Endangered to Vulnerable

Greater one-horned rhinos were almost hunted to extinction because it was thought that their horns had therapeutic properties. There were less than 200 animals left by 1900. The decline was brought on by poaching, the illegal trade in body parts, and the agriculturalization of grassland habitats. They now number over 3300 animals in India and Nepal thanks to strict conservation and preservation measures. Most rhinos live in reserves and parks that are under protection.

Although their numbers are growing, their conservation status recently improved from endangered to vulnerable, but they still face threats from poaching, disease, and natural disasters, Denver Zoo reports.

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