Denver zoo mourns death of beloved black rhinoceros known for his paintings “Photo”

Denver Zoo officials are mourning the loss of a 21-year-old black rhinoceros after the animal’s health caused the zoo to euthanize him.

Mshindi, who had chronic painful foot problems, was euthanized Wednesday after he “lost his quality of life,” according to a post on the zoo’s Facebook page. He was famous for making paintings that were sold to raise money for animal conservation.

“This is very hard for all of our staff,” zoo official Dale Leeds told CBS. “We’ll miss him terribly, but we knew this was the right thing to do.” The median life expectancy for black rhinos in North America is 17.8 years, according to the zoo’s Facebook.

Agencies/Canadajournal