A male zebra died after a female rhino unintentionally punctured his stomach, a zoo in Essex has said.
The rhino, called Astrid, had been sparring with her son Tayo when she tried to move Ziggy out of the way last Friday. Colchester zoo said Ziggy died of his injuries within minutes.
The zoo said Ziggy “sadly passed away following an incident in our mixed-species African habitat”.
“Ziggy had lived happily with the other species, including the rhino, in this habitat since November 2017 when he arrived,” it added.
“On Friday, two of the rhinos, Astrid and her son Tayo, were sparring with one another, which is a regular and natural behaviour for this species. On this occasion, unfortunately Astrid attempted to move Ziggy out of the way and in doing so unintentionally punctured his stomach and he died of these injuries a few minutes later.”
The zoo said it reviewed its care for animals to minimise the risk of such incidents recurring
“As a result, the animal care team will continue to closely monitor the animals’ behaviour in the coming weeks.”
The zoo added that such incidents were extremely rare and “we are devastated by this loss. Ziggy was a much-loved animal who will be dearly missed.
“We would really like to thank our supporters for the well wishes at this difficult time and thank our fantastic animal care team who dealt with this very difficult situation extremely professionally.”
Both animals have near-threatened status, meaning they are likely to become endangered in the wild in the near future.
Astrid, a southern white rhino, has given birth to two calves at Colchester, including one in January 2023.
The zoo, which opened in 1963, keeps southern white rhinos, with seven calves born since the species arrived in 1972.
The zoo’s African habitat, called Kingdom of the Wild – which was built in 2001 – is home to reticulated giraffes, maneless zebras, white rhinos, ostriches, crowned cranes and a greater kudu, a type of antelope.
The area is also home to the pygmy hippo and a plethora of reptiles and fish.
