Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is mourning the death of black rhino Kulinda Kifaru after the zoo was forced to euthanize the endangered animal Friday morning.

The 28-year-old rhinoceros had been in declining health for more than a year, according to a zoo statement. The rhino was previously diagnosed with iron overload syndrome, which results in progressive liver failure. Animal heath and care staff had worked to manage her health and care.

Black rhinoceroses are listed as critically endangered, with a nearly 98 percent population drop since 1960, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources. The institute cites poaching as a primary cause for the decline.

At her death, Kulinda had surpassed the median life expectancy of black rhinos in North American zoos by about a decade.

"Kulinda exemplified what it means to be an animal ambassador at the Columbus Zoo," zoo president and CEO Tom Stalf said in the prepared statement. "She brought people face-to-face with a species that could become extinct in our lifetime if we aren't inspired to act now, and gave many people a reason to care about rhino conservation. Connecting people with wildlife is the Columbus Zoo's mission, and Kulinda was a huge part of that."

Columbus Zoo has donated $200,000 in the past five years to rhino conservation projects, according to the zoo. Rosie, another black rhino at the Columbus Zoo, survives Kulinda, as does one of her calves, Klyde, at a zoo in Wichita, Kansas.

Born in 1988 at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Kulinda was a lifelong Ohioan who spent all but her first year in Columbus.

Kulinda seemingly enjoyed being fed apple slices by zoo visitors, as well as creating original paintings using her upper lip in the zoo animal enrichment program.

Results from a postmortem exam are expected in coming weeks.

mhuson@dispatch.com

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