One of Reid Park Zoo's elephants has died.
Punga, an 11-year-old male, died unexpectedly Tuesday as a result of "a double mesenteric root torsion, or twisted gut," according to a zoo news release.
The zoo also said that "symptoms of this condition occur suddenly and are usually fatal. Despite the animal care team taking immediate emergency measures, the life-saving effort was not successful."
The Zoo’s veterinarian, Alexis Moreno, DVM, said that torsions are more common in horses than elephants. The cause of the condition remains relatively unknown.
“The animal care team noticed Punga showing signs of discomfort yesterday morning, and responded immediately,” said Moreno. “They provided exceptional care and did everything right. Unfortunately, with this condition recovery is nearly impossible. Our team is devastated and it makes us feel rather helpless, but there is nothing we could have done differently to change the outcome.”
The zoo's animal care team recognized that the elephants will mourn Punga so they provided them access to his body and an opportunity to process the death in their own way, according to the release.