Malee, The Oklahoma City Zoo’s Baby Elephant, Dies Suddenly

In Kansas City, Tamani will join six female African elephants that are past their reproductive years.

Kansas City Zoo officials say the facility is acquiring a bull African elephant sometime in October. Animal-welfare activists who opposed the transfer of Seattle’s two adult females – Chai and Bamboo – to Oklahoma pointed out they might pass the virus on to Malee and her 9-month-old sister, Achara.

Malee was the first elephant born at the Oklahoma City Zoo in 2011.

The zoo says they noticed Malee moving slower than usual Wednesday, but otherwise she seemed fine.

Following a prescribed protocol, officials said a second treatment was given around 1 a.m. Thursday.

Zoo officials ask for everyone to keep the zoo family, especially Malee’s care team, in your thoughts during this hard time. She declined rapidly and passed away this morning.

However, EEHV can’t be confirmed as the cause of death until a necropsy on Malee’s body is completed. But results may not be known for a few time.