LA Zoo Announces Death of Elderly Elephant Shaunzi
Shaunzi, a 53-year-old Asian elephant, has been euthanized at the Los Angeles Zoo after being found unable to stand in her exhibit. Despite efforts to assist her, zoo staff decided to sedate and humanely euthanize her early Wednesday morning. Born in Thailand in 1971, Shaunzi spent most of her youth in the Cristiani Bros. Circus and over 30 years at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo before moving to the L.A. Zoo in 2017 to join other elephants.
The zoo staff, expressing their sense of loss, remembered Shaunzi as an ambassador for her species, which is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The population of Asian elephants in the wild is estimated to be between 30,000 to 50,000. The median life expectancy for female Asian elephants in human care is approximately 40 to 50 years, making Shaunzi's age notable. Her presence at the zoo was seen as both a privilege and a responsibility to uphold the highest standards of animal care and conservation.
