Los Angeles Zoo mourns death of beloved elephant 'Shaunzi'
Female Asian elephant Shaunzi (photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Zoo).
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Zoo announced the death of their female Asian elephant "Shaunzi" on Thursday. She was 53-years-old.
"On Jan. 2, the Zoo's two female elephants, Tina and Shaunzi, were in their habitat, the Thai Yard section of the Elephants of Asia," said a spokesperson for the zoo. "At approximately 8:30 p.m., overnight zoo staff observed Shaunzi down in her exhibit and she appeared to be unable to stand up."
Animal care staff and zoo veterinarians quickly responded, but ultimately decided to sedate and euthanize Shaunzi due to her "significant decline in health" during the early morning hours of Jan. 3.
"The Los Angeles Zoo is devastated by this loss," said a spokesperson for the zoo. "The care and wellbeing of the elephants and all of the animals at the zoo is always a top priority."
Shaunzi was born in Thailand and spent much of her youth in a circus environment. She arrived at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in 1983 before making her way to the Los Angeles Zoo in 2017 to join elephants Tina, Jewel and Billy.
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The species is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Officials estimate that only 40,000 of these elephants remain in the wild.
Elephants are often hunted illegally for their tusks, and much of their habitat has been fragmented or destroyed by urbanization.
"She will be dearly missed by the Los Angeles Zoo staff, members, and the millions of visitors who come to the Zoo each year," zookeepers said. "Rest in peace, Shaunzi."