World’s oldest black rhino Fausta dies aged 57 in a Tanzanian sanctuary after living most of her life in the wild
- The female rhino is thought to have died of natural causes on December 27
- She was moved to a sanctuary in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in 2016
- Life expectancy of rhinos living in the wild is usually between 37 and 43 years
The world’s oldest black rhino has died aged 57 in a Tanzanian sanctuary after living most of her life in the wild.
The female rhino, named Fausta, is thought to have died of natural causes on December 27, according to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority.
The statement said: ‘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 world’s oldest black rhino called Fausta (pictured aged 54) has died aged 57 in a Tanzanian sanctuary after living most of her life in the wild
But she was moved to the sanctuary in 2016 after being attacked by hyenas.
The statement added: ‘Fausta was first located in the Ngorongoro crater in 1965 by a scientist from the University of Dar Es Salaam, at the age between three and four years.
‘Her health begun to deteriorate in 2016, when we were forced to put the animal in captivity, after several attacks from hyena and severe wounds thereafter.’
Sana, a female southern white rhino, aged 55, was considered the world’s oldest white rhino when she died in captivity at the La Planete Sauvage Zoological park in France in 2017.
Ngorongoro estimates the life expectancy of rhinos to be between 37 and 43 years in the wild while they can live to over 50 in captivity.
Fausta was first located in the Ngorongoro crater (pictured) in 1965 by a scientist from the University of Dar Es Salaam, at the age between three and four years