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Remembering Mama, The Dallas Zoo Elephant Who Died At 45

Dallas Zoo
Mama the elephant died Wednesday at the Dallas Zoo.

Mama, an African elephant at the Dallas Zoo since 2010, has died.

She died Wednesday due to age-related health conditions, the zoo announced.

She was 45 and the oldest of the zoo’s five-member geriatric female herd, dubbed the “Golden Girls.” Mama was one of the 10 oldest elephants in the country, the zoo says.

“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 zoo says.

The zoo said in a statement:

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. … “We take our responsibility to care for these magnificent animals very seriously, and we’re heartened that her final years were spent in a social herd in which we saw positive, normal elephant behavior,” Lynn Kramer, the zoo’s vice president of animal operations, said in a statement.

The zoo reportsMama loved being groomed and adored her pedicures.

Video: Dallas Zoo remembers Mama

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_T_I5av4KQ

Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.