It wasn't ripped off - she bumped it against a railing one day and it fell off, but it was ready to go and happens occasionally. Keepers know of no specific trauma that caused it. This was not the first time for Asha.
Their horns are composed of keratin and grow slowly but continually, so I think it must be inevitable or an old rhino would have several feet of horn growing back over its head.
I was wondering if it might have been weakened by metabolism changes during her pregnancy but have not thought to ask when I have seen a knowledgeable keeper. One of these days . . .
Weird I didn't think horns fell off. Break sure but just bumping it... obviously hard... breaking it off sounds odd. If you have a chance to learn more I would love to know more about it.
Horns don't fall off on their own, although that doesn't mean that they have to break off either. If the horn is damaged, usually by hitting something harder than the horn, the horn will eventually fall off rather than healing. That way a new horn can grow unimpeded by the damaged horn.
So it can fall off, but it won't fall off on its own like antlers.
