A longtime fixture at the Honolulu Zoo died Tuesday. Zoo officials say they euthanized Corky, a 35-year-old male rhinoceros that had lived at the facility since 1999.
Honolulu Zoo Director Linda Santos says Corky was experiencing end-stage renal failure, prompting the decision to euthanize him.
“Corky was a favorite of the zoo staff for his charming personality and cautious behavior. He will be dearly missed, especially by the regular visitors who would spend their time watching him roam around foraging, rolling in his wallow or eating his treats,” Santos said in a statement.
Corky and a female companion, Satuski, spent over 20 years at the Honolulu Zoo. Satuski died in December 2021.
Corky was born in 1986 at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, Illinois, and was brought to Honolulu in 1999.
Corky was a black rhinoceros, which is native to eastern and southern Africa. Their average life span ranges from 35 to 50 years.
They are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as critically endangered.