CLEVELAND — Cleveland Metroparks Zoo announced this week the death of its beloved rhino, Inge.

Inge, who was a nearly 31-year-old blank rhino, arrived at the zoo in 1997, and she was one of the top five oldest females in the global population, the zoo said. 

The zoo wrote in a Facebook post that Inge had been under close veterinary observation after a progressive decline her health. 

During her time at the zoo, she gave birth to five calves, became a grandmother to seven and a great-grandmother to one, the zoo said. 

"Inge was beloved by the Zoo’s staff, volunteers and guests. She was an incredible ambassador for her counterparts in the wild and helped educate guests about conservation issues facing the species and will be tremendously missed," the zoo wrote in the Facebook post.