by KYW's Karin Phillips
The oldest elephant at the Philadelphia Zoo -- in fact, the oldest African elephant in any American zoo -- died Monday morning, on the third day of a heat wave that held the city in its grip.
It was not immediately known how 52-year-old "Petal" had died or whether the heat had contributed to her demise; tests were being conducted. She had been a resident of the Philadelphia Zoo for more than 50 years.
Zoo staff found Petal, who usually slept on her feet, lying on her side shortly before 7am Monday morning. A veterinariay team tried to comfort her and get her back on her feet, but she died about two hours later.
One zoo official says video inside Petal's stall indicates that her right right leg buckled suddenly early Monday morning, causing her to collapse.
Zoo officials say that Petal had been in excellent health in recent years. She lived with two other elephants -- Kalllie, 25, and Bette, 24. All three were scheduled to be transferred to a new elephant sanctuary in Pittsburgh later this year (see related stories).
Dr. Andrew Baker, vice president for animal programs at the Philadelphia Zoo, says the two remaining elephants will be watched closely:
"Petal was clearly the matriarch and the dominant individual in the group and had good relationships with the other two elephants. And so, in any sort of disruption of a social group of animals, you always need to monitor carefully for how the other animals adjust."
Marianne Bessey, leader for the Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants, calls Petal's death "totally unneccessary":
"They are directly responsible for the death of Petal. And we need to speak out and make it a priority to save the surviving two elephants before they die."
She says the group has been fighting to get the elephants out of the Zoo and into an elephant sanctuary. And says it's important now to concentrate on the health of the two remaining African elephants.
Bessey calls the Pittsburgh sanctuary a breeding facility and not best suited for the elephants.
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