You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.
Your active subscription(s)
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Products you've access to
Additional Subscription Benefits
Need help with your subscription?
Updated - October 31, 2026 12:11 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram
Jadu, the lone one-horned rhinoceros at the Thiruvananthapuram zoo in Keralam and one of the main attractions of the facility for some three decades, died on Friday night.
The rhino, affectionately called Shambhu by the zoo staff, was 39. He was under treatment for old-age related ailments. The average lifespan of rhinoceros is around 35-40 years.
A ‘veteran’ of the zoo, Jadu was transported from the State Zoological Park, Guwahati, Assam, on May 19, 1993, by incurring an expenditure of ₹6.5 lakh. He was five then.
It was a lonely life for him though since Rita, a female rhino, was gored to death by Ramu, a male rhino, in 2004. Ramu too died of illness later.
A post-mortem examination is set to be conducted under the leadership of zoo veterinary surgeon Nikesh Kiran and State Institute for Animal Diseases, Palode, pathologist Harish.
Jadu will be cremated around 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Published - October 31, 2026 12:08 pm IST
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.