A rhino believed to be the oldest in the world has died in Tanzania, aged 57.
Named Fausta it was an eastern black rhino first sighted in the Ngorongoro sanctuary in 1965 just at the age of three.
For 54 years the rhino lived in the sanctuary despite health issues, requiring specialist care years before its death.
Because Fausta never had calves, conservationists in Ngorongoro crater said that may have contributed to her long life.
In 2016, Fausta’s eyesight deteriorated with officials saying the animal was suffering from the lingering effects of hyena attacks.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority said later in a statement that “Records show that Fausta lived longer than any rhino in the world and survived in the Ngorongoro, free-ranging, for more than 54 years.”
The authority said before Fausta was moved to a sanctuary in 2016 she “was first located in the Ngorongoro crater in 1965 by a scientist from the University of Dar Es Salaam, at the age of between three and four years.”
“Her health began to deteriorate in 2016, when we were forced to put the animal in captivity, after several attacks from hyenas and severe wounds,” the statement added.
The Ngorongoro conservation area estimates the life expectancy of rhinos to be between 37 and 43 years in the wild, while they can live to older than 50 in captivity.
Source: Africafeeds.com
