Blackie the hippo: Why was he put down?
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| Cleveland
A Nile hippopotamus believed to be the oldest in North America has died at an Ohio zoo.
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo says the male聽hippo聽was euthanized Monday due to "advanced age-related ailments." The zoo says the聽hippo聽was named聽Blackie聽and was about 59 years old.
A zoo announcement says聽Blackie聽sired three male offspring after arriving at the zoo from Africa in 1955.聽Blackie聽was born in a game sanctuary in Tanzania.
The zoo says聽hippos聽typically live 30 to 40 years in the wild and can live longer in captivity.