Egypt’s Giza Zoo has announced the death of the last female white rhinoceros in Egypt and the Middle East, Zizi. Zizi came to Giza Zoo in 1983 from South Africa. She died at age 55, the normal life span in captivity for this African animal. In the wild, white rhinoceros live only 40 years.
Only four female white rhinoceros remain in world zoos; the last male died in South Africa in March 2018.
The Giza Zoo has assigned a specialised veterinary team with embalming Zizi who will then be placed in the Museum at the zoo.
The white rhinoceros is one of five extant species of the family Rhinocerotidae. It is herbivorous, and lives in grassy areas close to rivers and lakes. All rhinoceros weigh over a ton each; however, the white rhinoceros is the biggest, weighing some 2700 kg.
Watani International
23 March 2019