Zlín Zoo loses African elephant after surgery

Zlín Zoo has announced the loss of one of its prized African elephants. The female Kali had suffered a broken tusk and developed an abscess at its root. Despite lengthy and demanding surgery by an experienced international team of six veterinary specialists, Kali could not be revived from prolonged anaesthesia after the procedure.

The zoo had been home to three female African elephants, a male and a calf. In May, the male attacked one of the females, which subsequently died. The zoo is now left with one female, the calf and the male.

African elephants are critically endangered. Their breeding is rare in the Czech Republic and Europe, where zoos generally keep the more manageable Asian elephants.