JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A rhino kept at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is celebrating its 54th birthday, along with a huge milestone.
Archie is the oldest male southern white rhino in human care in the world. He was brought to Jacksonville in 1975.
Archie is one of the founders of the North American rhino population. He has produced 14 offspring, 13 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, 14 great-great-grandchildren, and ten great-great-grandchildren, totaling 60 descendants, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens said in a post on Facebook.
The zoo said Archie enjoys spending time with his friends Gabby and Kipenzi, eating his diet of grain and hay specially formulated for his needs, and getting a daily spa treatment of clay application.
Rhinos are a threatened and endangered species because of habitat loss and poaching, making it possible for rhinos to go permanently extinct in mere decades.
"We partner with the International Rhino Foundation, which works in Indonesia to protect and conserve the world’s rarest rhinos. These include the Sumatran rhino, found on the island of Sumatra with less than 50 animals, and the Javan rhino, located on the island of Java with less than 60 animals. The threats to both species of rhinos include poaching with cable snares for their valuable horns, loss of habitat from illegal logging and conversion of forests to palm plantations," the Jacksonville Zoo said on Facebook.