A Seattle-based advocacy group is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the recent death of an Asian elephant at the Oklahoma City Zoo.
The elephant, named Chai, was transferred from Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo to the Oklahoma facility eight months ago, along with another elephant, named Bamboo. Zookeepers found Chai dead in the elephant yard Saturday morning.
Friends of the Woodland Park Zoo Elephants says it filed a complaint Tuesday with the USDA. The organization says it's concerned that Chai died at age 37 — which it says is far younger than the expected Asian elephant lifespan of 60 to 70 years in the wild and the median lifespan of 47 years for zoo elephants.
Members opposed the transfer of the elephants to zoo, saying they should have been sent to an elephant sanctuary.
From Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden's Facebook page:
Elephant update: Thank you to our community for their outpouring of care and support at this difficult time. A full necropsy (animal autopsy) was performed on beloved Chai. At this time, there is no definitive cause of death or obvious signs of infectious disease. Although nothing can be ruled out until final lab results are received which may take a month or longer. Our elephant herd is doing well and we will share any additional information when it becomes available.