Dallas Zoo officials said African elephant "Mama" died Wednesday due to age-related health conditions.
Mama, 45, was the oldest of the zoo’s five-member geriatric female herd called the "Golden Girls."
She had been undergoing health care, including massages, medication and heat-lamp treatments, for months, according to a news release. Her health declined recently, though, and officials tried to keep her comfortable.
"This is a difficult day for our staff and the community," Lynn Kramer, D.V.M., the zoo’s vice president of Animal Operations said. "We take our responsibility to care for these magnificent animals very seriously."
After Mama died, the other elephants in the herd — Gypsy, Jenny, Congo and Kamba — touched her face with their trunks and trumpeted softly, officials said.
Mama was one of the 10 oldest elephants in the United States, living well past the 38-year median life expectancy for a female African elephant in human care.
