Virginia Zoo staff mourns the loss of its beloved White rhino Alfred. The 48-year-old rhino died on 19 January 2017 in his indoor stall.

Since Alfred’s exam in October 2016 the Zoo’s Veterinary have continued to closely monitor his health, with hydrotherapy, pain medications and antibiotics for osteoarthritis. Since his health didn’t improve over time, Zoo Staff took the difficult decision to humanly euthanise him.

Alfred has been an icon of the Virginia Zoo for three decades. He was born in 1968: spent the first part of his life at Kings Dominion,moved to The Wilds in Columbus, Ohio, then he came to Virginia Zoo where he resided till nowadays.

Since the medium life span of a White Rhino in captivity is between 40 and 50 years, Alfred was one of the oldest White rhinos and has contributed to the education of millions of visitors throughout the years.

Original announcement here