Tricia, our beloved elephant, is now roaming free forever!!

[Heroine of the Dragon]

RIP Tricia.

Tricia the Asian Elephant is at peace after she passed away at Perth Zoo following age-related complications.

At 65 years old, she was among the oldest elephants in the world and the oldest being cared for by a zoo in Australasia.

https://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/article/wa-f ... n-elephant

Have you ever been affected by the death of an animal at your zoo?

[Booyakasha]

One of the snow leopards at the Milwaukee County Zoo was euthanised a couple weeks ago. Evidently it had something wrong with its kidneys that was killing it by inches.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

RIP in elephant heaven.

[Booyakasha]

Our zoo's polar bear died recently, too.

...on the other hand, hey-----------new baby giraffe. I like a giraffe.

[Gametrek]

Elphants can live for like 300 hundred years, 1XX max usually. 65 years old is laughable and proves the Elphant was probably kept in poor condition.

Anyways _____ probably had a better life then any of the bears who are kept in cages and sold to English nations at low-prices. That is sad in comparison. Imagine a bear that should be climbing trees for bee-larve, standing on two legs with five fingers, and big bear claws only to be grown and raised inside a cage ( in China ) just to be sold for their fur to make those lame British guards hats.

Yes in comparison to those bears or even test-tube Chickens I am sure this Elephant had a way better life.

........

Also not to mention this is Australia we are talking about. An Elephant in captivity for the mere viewership of somebody too lazy or broke to go to the pride-lands, or India to see one.

Yup.

Question of the day I wonder if Elephants kept in circuses are doing any better then the ones kept in zoos. They seem to enjoy doing the tricks and people laugh seeing them poo, to even stand up on two legs, and do a safety lift with the tamer of volunteer.

[CaptHayfever]

65 is a remarkable age for an Asian elephant, which average 48 years, so at least Tricia was cared for well.

And remember,....

[Heroine of the Dragon]

Actually, Tricia was not well cared for in her early years, and was even (to our eternal collective shame) mistreated. She was kept alone, in a concrete cage for many years and was used to provide entertainment that by today's standards is dreadful. Elephants need and rightfully deserve to live in herds. They should always be around other elephants. And preferably with their family herd.

BUT.

The zoo recognised the mistreatment and created a much more natural enclosure (still a cage) and also brought in other elephants and gave her a family to live with. She was truly loved by the keepers and by many people throughout Aust. She was encouraged to participate in enrichment activities and to enjoy her life in her older years. As for age, she was a long lived elephant. I will eternally miss Tricia but I can understand that she is now free for real.

Again about age, CaptHayfever is correct. And African elephants (bigger species) can live up to 90 years, but generally don't get that age in the wild due to a number of reasons.