Kinkel the 35-year-old male elephant has died of unknown causes, the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo announced on Thursday.
The elephant died on Tuesday morning.
"The cause of death is still unknown, but the elephant, which was very dear to the zoo and its patrons alike, took ill on Monday and received medical treatment to the time of his death," said the statement. It added that the zoo was "mourning the passing of Kinkel".
Kinkel had been suffering from colic on and off for almost 10 years.
"Last year, the colic attacks became more frequent with the worst episode being about three attacks in a week. However, these did not last long - at most five minutes. The last colic attack was sometime in June this year, and since then he hadn’t fully recovered," said the statement.
The zoo managed his condition through veterinary care and by managing his diet.
"During the early days, caretakers increased the frequency of his food offerings to two servings a day – they also increased the fibre component of the diet and limited the amount of fruits and highly fermentable foods and only offered him oranges when he was having colic to increase bowel movements.
Kinkel shared an enclosure with a female elephant, Lammie, who turned 39 in August this year.
"She has not taken the situation very well, as elephants are very social animals. On Monday, she was seen trying to help Kinkel get up. She refused to eat on Tuesday. Alice, her zookeeper, suspects that she was aware that something was wrong," said the statement.
"Elephants are known to grieve. We know that she trumpets whenever she is happy. We are not sure how she will express her emotions in this situation. An animal behaviorist will monitor and work closely with Lammie to assist her transition during this difficult time as elephants have good memories.
"Staff that looked after Kinkel and in the section will also receive counseling as they are emotional about this sudden loss."
Kinkel was very special to the zoo and was highly liked by visitors. His enclosure is one of the most visited in the zoo.
The zoo said it was conducting a post-mortem to determine the cause of death.
- African News Agency (ANA)
