Jasper - Europe’s oldest Eastern Black Rhino peacefully passes away
Europe’s oldest Eastern Black Rhino peacefully passed away at award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park, but his legacy will live on forever.
Veteran Jasper, 33, was put down on Thursday after succumbing to old age.
03 July 2025
Jasper was born at Dvur Kralove Zoo in Czechia on 13th September 1991. He was transferred to Zoo Leipzig in 1993 and Zoologischer Garten Berlin in 1999, before moving to YWP.
Kyrie Birkett, Section Head of Hoofstock, said: “Jasper has acted as a true symbol of hope for his incredible species.
“He has been a massive part of our team since his arrival with us in 2018. He was a huge character and a favourite animal for so many of us. We all love him to pieces and our hearts are truly broken.
“Jasper loved food, attention, drinking from the hosepipe, sleep and watching diggers and tractors. We have so many fond memories of him “helping” us with our tasks or getting involved in conversations just by standing and staring at us with a big smile on his face. He was a huge character, and we will miss him dearly.
“Although we are deeply saddened by his passing, we are very proud to have been able to house Jasper over the past seven years alongside our other black rhinos Najuma, Makibo and Rocco, who is now 1 years old.”
YWP’s Director of Animals, Dr. Charlotte MacDonald, said: “Over his 33 years, Jasper sired 11 offspring – 5 males and 6 females. His offspring have also bred, and Jasper became a great-great-grandfather earlier this year to Billie, born at Zoo Krefeld.
“His descendants can be found across Europe and even as far away as Japan.
“We were moved to hear that the National Museum of Scotland will be displaying his entire skeleton for education and research purposes- a very fitting legacy for Jasper, who was widely valued for his input to the black rhino breeding programme.
His DNA is being preserved to help protect this critically endangered species, following his years of vital contributions to the conservation breeding programme.
Nature’s SAFE’s is a cryopreservation service that works with zoos to bank genetic information from endangered species at risk of extinction. Its bank of live reproductive cells, tissues, and skin can provide science for endangered breeding programmes and could be used in the future to facilitate species restoration.
Dr. MacDonald continued, “With his samples at Nature Safe’s biobank, Jasper will be able to continue contributing to vital conservation works and helping to protect the endangered species.”
Black Rhinoceros have been illegally poached to the brink of extinction due to the demand for their horn, numbers have declines by over 90% over the last three generations.
The WildLife Foundation, the charity based at the park, works closely with Save the Rhino International to protecting black rhinos in the wild.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which puts conservation at the heart of all its activities, offers visitors a unique walkthrough experience coming almost face to face with some of the world’s most beautiful and rare species, including Amur Leopards and Tigers, Giraffes, Sea Lions and Black Rhinos.