Media Release
24 August 2009

Much-loved elephant Kashin loses battle with health

Auckland Zoo’s much-loved female elephant Kashin, a part of the zoo family for over 36 years, was put to sleep at 5pm this evening after losing her battle with chronic health conditions.

“Zoo staff are devastated, grieving the loss of their incredibly spirited and gentle matriarch. Kashin touched the lives, not just of the zoo family, but thousands of New Zealanders and international visitors who came to know and love her. She was a real icon of the zoo and of Auckland, and an extraordinary advocate for wildlife and Auckland Zoo’s conservation efforts. She will be greatly missed by all,” says Auckland Zoo Board Chair, Councillor Graeme Mulholland.

In respect for Kashin and zoo staff, Auckland Zoo will be closed tomorrow, and will re-open on Wednesday 26 August.

The decision to euthanase 40-year-old Kashin was carefully considered. She has suffered chronic arthritis and foot abscesses for many years, and of late, she developed skin infections over her body that were not healing and reflected a breakdown in her immune system. The decision was made following a marked deterioration in her physical health and emotional state over the weekend.

“We have been monitoring her extremely closely over the past few months, and noticed over the weekend that she was depressed and withdrawn. She was not responding to her keepers and her environment the way she normally did, which is unusual. Despite being on pain relief, she was showing signs of being in pain. Kashin is such a spirited animal, it was clear to us that her condition had deteriorated. This morning there was no change, and when our vet team, the zoo’s curator and elephant keepers examined her together we realised that it would be unfair to let her continue like this,” says Auckland Zoo senior vet, Dr Richard Jakob-Hoff. “Our primary concern was for her quality of life.”

Dr Jakob-Hoff says Kashin arrived at the zoo from Thailand in 1972 as a four-year-old with pigeon-toed feet, which pre-disposed her to foot conditions.

“Kashin has had foot issues and arthritis for well over 20 years and needed ongoing care to manage these. She’s done unbelievably well and remained a remarkably active and happy animal. But arthritis is a degenerative and incurable condition, and an elephant with arthritis is going to get worse a lot quicker than a human would do. You also have to consider that at 3.5 tonne, although a good weight for Kashin, her joints, and her feet were under huge pressure,” says Dr Jakob-Hoff.

Kashin’s death could well have a big impact on the zoo’s remaining elephant – 26-year-old Burma, and vets and the zoo’s elephant team will be monitoring her very closely.

“Our top priority will be to get company for Burma as soon as possible, and in the meantime keepers will be giving Burma all the extra attention that she needs,” says Auckland Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken.

ENDS

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