ST. LOUIS — A beloved Asian elephant at the Saint Louis Zoo has unexpectedly died.
The zoo announced Tuesday that 27-year-old Rani died on Friday, Oct. 13.
According to a news release, shortly before 4 p.m. Friday, a small, lost dog was seen running in a non-public area near the Elephant Barn. The care team was working to contain the dog when its presence caused the elephants to become agitated and move indoors.
The dog was quickly captured and handed over to a shelter.
Rani was in her bedroom at the time having dinner, according to the zoo. She didn't hear or see the dog.
The Elephant Care team saw Rani become agitated in reaction to the vocalizations from the herd. She then circled and vocalized before collapsing.
Both the Elephant Care and Animal Health teams performed emergency care on Rani, but she died.
An autopsy found that Rani had preexisting changes in her heart, according to the release. These changes are being tested to gain a further understanding of what happened to Rani.
"From the initial indications it it appears that stress caused a cardiovascular event and the elephant passed," Fox Creek Veterinary Hospital Dr. Stu Robson told 5 On Your Side.
Robson has limited experience working with elephants, doing some peripheral work with Grants Farm. "If there's something that's not normal in their environment that startles them that can trigger them. If you have some underlying cardiovascular disease, sometimes the consequences can be quite devastating," Robson said.
The zoo said the rest of the herd calmed down and did well after the incident, according to the release.
The rest of the elephants and their care team were given time with Rani to say goodbye Friday.
“Rani was a special member of this elephant family group,” Zoological Manager of River’s Edge Katie Pilgram-Kloppe said in a statement. “She loved playing with her sisters Maliha and Priya. While growing up here in St. Louis, she got to learn from her own mom, Ellie, on how to be an amazing mother herself. She had a great relationship with her animal care team and all of the other elephants."
Rani and Ellie, her mother, came to the zoo in July 2001 at ages 5 and 29. They came from another Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoo to join the herd at River's Edge.
Rani was a mother to Jade, Kenzi and Avi. The zoo's bull elephant, Raja, fathered Rani and Ellie's calves.
“We are absolutely devastated. We ask for the community’s thoughts and support during this difficult time,” Michael Macek, Saint Louis Zoo director, said. “Our team of professional animal care experts did everything possible, but we couldn’t save Rani.”
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