HOHENWALD, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee is mourning the sudden death of one of their African elephants.
Donna, an African elephant, came to the sanctuary from the Oakland Zoo, though she was born in the wilds of Zimbabwe in 1980. A Facebook post from the sanctuary announcing Donna’s sudden death Friday said Donna loved her herd mates and had a preference for rolling in the mud. Often, Donna was covered in it and she loved digging wallows.
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“Donna was a cherished member of the Oakland Zoo family for 34 years before moving to Tennessee,” Oakland Zoo CEO Nik Dehejia said. “I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to her Oakland animal care team and volunteers for their dedication to her throughout her life in Oakland and to The Sanctuary’s team for their support over the past 15 months, particularly during these challenging days.”
The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee said Donna had been in good health, other than arthritis related to age, which had been well-managed. Donna had developed a subtle edema two weeks ago and staff performed full bloodwork, which only revealed a higher white blood cell count. Donna started on a course of antibiotics, which she tolerated well. The edema was resolving, she was eating and behaving normally; bloodwork had been scheduled for next week.