Credit: Zoo Atlanta

Boma, a 23-year-old male eastern black rhinoceros, died at Zoo Atlanta yesterday, just a few months after the zoo welcomed a female rhino that it hoped would be a potential mate for the rhino who never sired any offspring in his more than 20 years at the zoo.

The animal had undergone two weeks of aggressive treatment for gastrointestinal problems, zoo officials said.

The rhino was born at the Zoo Dvur Kralove in the Czech Republic and came to Atlanta in 1989, helping in the zoo’s rebirth in the late 1980’s, the zoo said.

The estimated life span of a black rhino is 50 to 60 years, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Zoo Atlanta president Raymond King said in a statement, “Bo was a special member of the Zoo Atlanta family for more than 20 years and was an important ambassador for a critically endangered species.”

Boma’s condition went from guarded to grave since the week of July 12, the zoo said.