The elephants

A friend sent me this from today's news:

03.03.10 - MEDIA NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Zoo Deeply Saddened by Elephant’s Death

Sanford, FL (March 3, 2010) - The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens’ 63 year-old female Asian elephant Mary died late Tuesday evening March 2. Bonnie Breitbeil, Director of Animal Collections said, “This is a very sad occurrence. For her advanced age, Mary was a healthy individual with age-related illnesses, and due to her age, our staff monitored her activity hourly. A necropsy is being conducted to determine the specific cause of death. Staff is deeply saddened as we feel we have lost a very dear friend. Additionally, elephants, just like people, go through a mourning process and Maude has been able to say goodbye to her following her death.”

Joe Montisano, CEO said, “Mary was a favorite among Central Florida Zoo guests and staff and a great animal. Her life was dedicated to educating children-of-all-ages about Asian elephants and certainly for a large percentage of our guests, who will never see an elephant in the wild, she represented that connection. She was a great ambassador and touched the lives of many people in her years on the planet. We will miss her.”

Mary was born in 1946 at the Nehru Zoological Park. She came to the U.S. in 1952 with the Polack Bros. Circus. She retired from the circus in 1956 to the Dallas Zoo before coming to the Central Florida Zoo in May 1983 where she was the matriarch of the group despite Maude outweighing her by 3,000 pounds. Mary was the third oldest Asian elephant on record at an AZA accredited zoo in the U.S.

Mary touched many people’s hearts throughout the years and zoo guests have enjoyed the annual birthday celebrations and seeing Maude and Mary during weekend elephant demonstration and encounters. Mary has a special place in the hearts of her animal keepers having enjoyed interaction with them especially having her stomach rubbed and sneaking up on new keepers.

“As with any geriatric animal, the Zoo has been preparing for this day for many years and the expertise gained from caring for Mary at her advanced age will contribute to the zoological community’s care of geriatric elephants, said Montisano. “Additionally, our staff has been working closely with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and the Elephant Species Survival Program (SSP) to look at the best option for Maude as we move forward.”

The Asian elephant is an endangered species due to centuries of hunting and habitat destruction. They inhabit the grasslands and jungles of Southeast Asia from western India east through the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. Elephants are herbivores and feed on hay, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Asian elephants can live up to 60 years of age, can attain a weight of 11,000 pounds and can reach heights of ten feet at the shoulder.

Donations in her memory are being collected at the Central Florida Zoo and will be sent to the Elephant Conservation Program to help endangered elephants in the wild.

-zoo-

For more information contact:

Shonna Green
Director, Marketing and PR
407.323.4450 ext. 115
501.258.8707 cell
shonnag@centralfloridazoo.org

The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens is a 116-acre private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and to engaging and educating our guests by sharing knowledge and celebrating our natural world.