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SALT LAKE CITY — The oldest living African elephant in North America was euthanized at Utah's Hogle Zoo, zoo officials announced Saturday.
Dari, who came to Hogle Zoo in 1967, was euthanized after her health had steadily deteriorated over the last several months, according to a press release from Hogle Zoo. She lived to 55 1/2 years, well beyond the average life expectancy of 42 years for elephants in the wild. Dari also holds the record for longest-lived African elephant in America.
"That's a testament to her care over generations," said elephant manager Eric Peterson. "It's not just me taking care of her, it's the people who worked with her before me. It's the people who took good care of her in 1967 to get her where she is today. That's what's so neat — it's generations of keepers and veterinarians that loved and took care of her. She touched a lot of lives."
Dari, short for Hy-Dari, had been undergoing treatment for arthritis and other age-related conditions, according to zoo veterinarians. She was found on the ground and unable to stand Saturday morning for the second time in recent months, at which point the decision was made to euthanize her, officials said.
"I saw the decline in her," Peterson said. "It's not a quantifiable thing where you can say 'here are the steps in this process.' It's something you learn working with animals that you realize what they're saying to you that it's OK to let go."
Dari was the matriarch of Hogle Zoo's elephant herd, which still includes two other elephants, ages 6 and 26. The remaining elephants, Zuri and Christie respectively, were allowed grieving time with Dari and are expected to go through a mourning period, zoo officials said.
