Posts Tagged With: elephant

Zoo mourns loss of Mama, elderly elephant matriarch

The Dallas Zoo is heartbroken to announce the death of African elephant “Mama” due to age-related health conditions.

Elephants "Mama" was the matriarch of the all female "Golden Girls" herd. She will forever be missed.

Elephant “Mama” was the matriarch of the all female “Golden Girls” herd. She will forever be missed.

At 45, Mama was the oldest of our five-member geriatric female herd. She lived more than seven years past the 38-year median life expectancy for a female African elephant in human care, and was one of the 10 oldest elephants in the United States. She had been undergoing dedicated geriatric health care for many months, including massage, baths, blood tests, medication and heat-lamp treatments. In recent weeks, Mama’s health had declined, and her care evolved to hospice-style efforts designed to keep her comfortable.

“Mama’s longevity and excellent quality of life are a testament to the loving care and expertise of our elephant keepers and veterinary team,” said Gregg Hudson, Dallas Zoo’s president and CEO.

Mama shines in the golden sun on an autumn day in 2013.

Mama shines in the golden sun on an autumn day in 2013.

“This is a difficult day for our staff and the community. We take our responsibility to care for these magnificent animals very seriously,” said Lynn Kramer, D.V.M., the zoo’s vice president of Animal Operations. “We’re heartened that her final years were spent in a social herd in which we saw positive, normal elephant behavior.”

Mama, whose estimated birthdate was January 1970, was often called an “old soul.” This curious mother and grandmother was known for her sweet tooth, favoring sugar cane, and tidy eating habits (she would rake her food into a neat pile and daintily scoop it up). From the time Mama arrived at the Zoo in 2010, zookeepers noticed she was very curious and could be the instigator of mischief. She loved being groomed, especially “pedicures,” getting attention from guests and her keepers, and being vocal with her herd.  She was the matriarch of our “Golden Girls” and received much special care because of her advanced age and conditions resulting from injuries she sustained long before she came to the Dallas Zoo.

Pictured from left to right: Kamba, Congo, Jenny, Mama and Gypsy greet one another on the Savanna in Dec. 2014.

Pictured from left to right: Kamba, Congo, Jenny, Mama and Gypsy greet one another on the Savanna in December 2014.

After Mama died, the other elephants in the herd, Gypsy, Jenny, Congo and Kamba, were given time to say goodbye, during which they gently touched her face with their trunks and trumpeted softly.

The elephant herd’s home, the Giants of the Savanna, was specifically designed for the care of older elephants, as well as younger ones. The habitat can be changed to address the needs of individual animals, such as adding logs and piles of sand for leaning and resting for older animals. The habitat also was designed, with help from elephant expert Dr. Charles Foley, to include migration pathways that allow the herd to walk more than 10 miles per day.

Mama (left) dusts her back with dirt with Kamba nearby in Dec. 2014.

Mama browses for food nearby while Kamba dusts her back with dirt in December 2014.

It’s a very difficult time for our staff, so please keep us in your thoughts. Our keepers, committed to conservation efforts, ask that anyone wishing to honor Mama donate to Dr. Foley’s Tarangire Elephant Project, one of our partners helping elephants in Africa. Information can be found at www.wcstanzania.org/tarangire.htm. Donations may be mailed to Mama Elephant Memorial, c/o Dallas Zoo, 650 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway, Dallas, TX 75203.

Please watch this tribute video we made in honor of Mama.

Categories: Africa, Elephant, Mammals, Veterinary Care | Tags: , | 5 Comments

Elephant artwork to join iconic giraffe statue

Gypsy greets Mama by intertwining their tusks together.

Gypsy and Mama greet by intertwining their trunks together./Dallas Zoo

It’s a symbol of a solid, loving bond between African elephants — intertwining their massive trunks in a gentle hug.

Our “Golden Girls” greet our matriarch elephant, Mama, this way often. Gypsy and Jenny especially love to wrap their trunks around hers after they’ve reunited. Whether five minutes have passed or possibly a whole day, it’s their special way of saying, “Hey, I missed you and I respect you.”

This affectionate symbol will be the theme of a new art piece joining our iconic 67-foot-tall giraffe statue near the front entrance of the Zoo. As part of the City of Dallas Public Art Program, the new $262,000 piece will consist of two larger-than-life, freestanding elephant sculptures made of galvanized, welded steel rods.

The artwork will be made by artist Peter Busby from Cornwall Bridge, Conn. Busby’s design was selected in November by a panel of judges with the Office of Cultural Affairs.

African elephant statue design by Peter Busby.

African elephant statue design by Peter Busby.

Doug Dykman, vice president of facilities and sustainability programs at the Zoo, helped judge the finalists’ conceptual presentations and says Busby’s captured his interest most.

“Elephants are among the species at the heart of the Dallas Zoo’s conservation efforts for wildlife preservation,” Dykman said. “Busby thoroughly researched animal behaviors, and his elephant concept illustrates their natural greeting beautifully. Along with our existing giraffe statue, the sculpture will provide a gateway and welcome for our guests with representations of two iconic animals prominently featured in our acclaimed Giants of the Savanna exhibit.”

The sculpture is expected to be installed by fall 2016.

Categories: Africa, Elephant | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Root Balls: An elephant delicacy

Each morning, our five female elephants enter the Giants of the Savanna and look for their breakfast. But recently, the “Golden Girls” discovered a new treat. Temple Emanu-El, a reform Jewish synagogue in Dallas, donated nine massive red oak root balls to us after they were excavated from a building project at the temple. The root balls were scattered throughout the habitat, used as enrichment to stimulate the elephants’ natural behaviors. It gives the girls something new to explore, and guests from the temple got to see the amusing sight of them ripping apart roots with their trunks.

The root balls are delivered to the Zoo.
The root balls are delivered to the Zoo.
Ashley Allen/Dallas Zoo
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Categories: Africa, Elephant, Enrichment, Mammals | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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