On Saturday, October 3, Rupert, the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance’s one-horned rhino, passed away. The rhino, 12, died of gastrointestinal complications despite a large team at the Denver Zoo working towards his recovery.
The AnimalHealth team attempted to reverse the rhino’s health decline by helping Rupert through multiple procedures and treatment options. Despite the unfortunateness of the situation, the AnimalHealth team and the rhino’s caretakers were all present at his death.
His death is being felt deeply by the Denver community, especially his caretakers. Rupert is the second rhino to die this year. Rudy, a 32-year-old black rhinoceros, died in May.
“The first time I met him, (Rupert) he approached me and put his sweet nose in my palm and readily leaned into scratches from all the new people in his life,” says Becky, the Night Animal Care Specialist. “His loss is hard, and the lack of his presence is deeply felt.”
Many teams at the zoo struggle with the loss of these animals after their passing. Rupert’s caretakers were one of the many teams the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance is attempting to help via their new animal health care resources. Jake Kubie, the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance Director, explained the resources help those close to the animals come to terms with the loss.
“These are huge losses for the whole zoo community, but in particular, the animal care and animal health teams that are so close to them,” Kubie said.
This group is dedicated in their mission to assuage staff’s grief and find ways to commemorate the animals they cared for. Kubie described how these groups put on celebration-of-life lunches. Here, caretakers can feel safe to share memories of their beloved animals.
Animal care specialists characterized Rupert’s “silly personality.” They described how much he adored attention and how he played with his big ball or lounged in the pool.
Rupert arrived in Denver in May from a zoo in San Diego at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan recommendation. He was encouraged to breed with Tensing, the zoo’s 18-year-old female rhino.
The two were never introduced before Rupert’s passing, despite being neighbors in the rhino barn. The Denver Zoo reassured patrons they do not consider Rupert’s illness transmissible, and Tensing is healthy.
Kubie hopes to bring in a new male rhino soon to pair with Tensing, but no exact date exists as of now.
“One of our priorities is to support the species as a whole, and the species survival plans that we work on in collaboration with other accredited zoos across the country are really a priority for us,” Kubie said.
Rupert will not be forgotten, though. He will live on through scientific research. According to Kubie, Rupert’s remains are being donated to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Rudy’s remains were also donated to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
“These animals, their legacy brings so much to the world of science and research even in death,” he said. “So it’s really a great way to memorialize them.”
Despite his short time at the zoo, Rupert made a lasting impression on all of the staff.
“We’re sad we only knew him for such a short time, but we still loved him like we had known him for years,” said an animal care specialist at the zoo. “We’re thankful to have cared for him when he needed it most. We’re heartbroken to be without him, and after a challenging year, the heartbreak doesn’t get any easier. Rest easy buddy, we miss you.”
OUT FRONT Magazine’s connection with rhinos comes from its mascot: the purple rhino. As an LGBTQ+ magazine, the rhino represents endurance and strength. In the 1970s, the rhinoceros held immense value to the queer community as a representation of their struggle. It appeared all over Boston in an attempt to bring attention to queer rights. Unfortunately the movement was short-lived in Boston, but was picked up by Denver’s LGBTQ+ community in 1974 for the magazine Rhinoceros.
This magazine did go extinct, but, in 1976, OUT FRONT picked up the mantle and chose the rhino as their mascot. It pushed against outdated ideas that the queer community were unicorns, instead representing them as rhinos: tough, resilient and willing to fight back.
Photo courtesy of social media
