The 27-year-old Asian elephant collapsed after her heard was agitated by a wayward dog that wandered into the zoo and near the elephant habitat.
Ray Meibaum/The St. Louis ZooAsian elephant Rani, seen after a bath at the St. Louis Zoo in 2017, died on Friday.Rani, a female Asian elephant at the St. Louis Zoo, unexpectedly died after a dog running loose agitated her herd, zoo officials said."We are absolutely devastated. We ask for the community's thoughts and support during this difficult time," said Michael Macek, the zoo's director, in a news release on Tuesday.
On the afternoon of Oct.13, a small dog wandered into the zoo and made its way near the elephant habitat, according to the zoo. The Elephant Care team worked to capture the dog, but its presence caused an elephant that was outside the barn to become agitated.But the elephant care members"observed Rani become agitated in reaction to the vocalizations from the herd. They saw Rani circle and vocalize, all within a very brief period, before collapsing.
A necropsy found preexisting changes in the elephant's heart. It was unknown whether the changes were a factor in her death, the zoo news release read, and further testing is being done. The dog has been handed over to a shelter, according to the zoo. It wasn't immediately clear how the dog got into the zoo.
Rani and her mother Ellie came to the zoo in 2001, upon recommendation by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan, which aims to manage North America's Asian elephant population and maximize their health and genetic diversity, the zoo said."Rani was a special member of this elephant family group," said Katie Pilgram-Kloppe, who manages the zoo's River's Edge area where the elephants live.
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