Masamba the rhino leaving Potawatomi Zoo

Potawatomi Zoo: Masamba

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Potawatomi Zoo announced Masamba, the southern white rhinoceros, will be leaving the zoo and moving to The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center in Cumberland, Ohio.

Zoo officials say this decision resulted from a breeding recommendation by the Southern White Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan.

Masamba will be introduced to a group of five to six female rhinos at The Wilds, with the goal of breeding and contributing to the southern white rhino population within zoos.

Zoo officials say there is no set date for Masamba’s move, but it's expected he will leave sometime this fall.

“It is never easy to say goodbye to one of our animals, especially an animal as iconic as our rhino,” says Josh Sisk, executive director of the Potawatomi Zoo. “I