Asian Elephant Dies Suddenly at Woodland Park Zoo

A 6-yr old female Asian elephant, named Hansa, died suddenly at Woodland Park Zoo in Washington. Hansa was the first elephant ever to be born at the century old Woodland Park.

About a week after she started showing signs of abdominal pain, Hansa, a 6-yr old Asian elephant has died. After displaying a lack of appetite and decreased activity, she began receiving treatments with antibiotics and fluids. A necropsy (which is the term for an autopsy on an animal) is being conducted. Hansa, which is Thai for "supreme happiness," was the first elephant to be born at the Woodland Park Zoo.

"She was a little princess, and she had a big old Buddha belly," Dr. Kelly Helmick, director of animal health, said at a news conference.

Asian elephants generally live around 45 years. Hansa's mother Chai, who is 28, is still a part of the Woodland Park Asian elephant herd, along with Bamboo (40) and Watoto (38). Animal rights activists claim that Hansa's death is evidence that the zoo is too small for elephants. It's always sad to me, to see an endangered animal die, whether in the wild or captivity. But I have to say that the animal rights activists in cases like this get under my skin. As much as I love animals and support causes for their well-being, until you know what caused the animals death you should keep your mouths shut. For all anyone knows, Hansa died because of an ailment she was born with, that just started presenting itself recently -- and the size of the pen wouldn't have done much to change that.