Thiruvananthapuram: Shambhu, a male Indian one-horned rhinoceros and one of the oldest attractions at the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo, died late last night. He was 39.

Shambhu was brought to the zoo from the Assam State Zoological Park in Guwahati on May 19, 1993, when he was five years old. The zoo had spent around ₹6.5 lakh to bring him to Thiruvananthapuram.

For more than three decades, Shambhu remained a major attraction for visitors to the zoo. He had been undergoing treatment for age-related health problems before his death.

Rhinoceroses typically have a life span of 35 to 40 years. With Shambhu's death, the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo no longer has any rhinoceroses.

The postmortem procedures were completed under the supervision of zoo veterinary surgeon Dr Nikesh Kiran and Dr Hareesh, pathologist at the State Institute for Animal Diseases, Palode.

Shambhu's body is scheduled to be cremated at around 3 pm today.