BATON ROUGE - Officers with the Baton Rouge Police Department are mourning the loss of a beloved white patrol horse, Tank.

Born at Angola State Penitentiary, Tank became a member of the BRPD team in 2007. Police say he "drew attention everywhere he went because of his enormous size and beautiful color."

Weighing nearly 2,000 pounds, the horse worked with BRPD's Mounted Patrol Division for 12 years total. Eight of those years were spent with his work partner, Sgt. Mike Thomas.

Officials say Tank died of an illness. He was 15 years old.