On his 50th birthday last January, Ranchipur the Asian elephant sauntered before adoring fans at the San Diego Zoo to inspect his towering gift.

He probed with his ivory tusks and curious trunk the 15-foot structure, a giant number “50” sculpted from tree branches and draped in ficus leaves. Hidden within were colorful hibiscus and little bits of banana. It stretched above Ranchipur’s 11-foot frame and took a team of 10 keepers six hours to assemble. Each number weighed 300 pounds.

Six minutes later, the 11-ton pachyderm had demolished it all.

He romped around the yard and searched for more treats, tossing blocks and blowing popcorn while blond little girls blew him kisses.

Ranchipur had already outlived the average lifespan for Asian elephants in captivity. Year 50 was, zookeepers said, the elephant’s “milestone birthday.”

It would be his last.

On Tuesday, after years of treatment for geriatric ailments, zookeepers decided it was time to say goodbye.

Staff grew concerned when the elephant looked weak in the early morning, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. After he did not respond to medical assistance, Ranchipur was euthanized.

“As a well-known member of the herd, [Ranchipur] will be missed by staff, volunteers and guests,” the zoo said in a statement to the newspaper. “Please take a moment to share your condolences with those people who worked closely with Ranchipur, who especially will be feeling his loss.”

A necropsy is being conducted, zoo officials told the Union-Tribune. It’s likely Ranchipur’s latest health obstacles were from old age. He was a regular in the geriatric unit of the zoo’s Elephant Odyssey habitat, the Conrad Prebys Elephant Care Center, the newspaper reported.

Ranchipur was the fourth-oldest male elephant in the Western Hemisphere, according to the Union-Tribune, and the second-oldest elephant at the San Diego Zoo. He arrived at the zoo from a private owner in 1981 and lived in the Safari Park until 2009, when he was moved to the 7.5 acre Elephant Odyssey habitat.

In blog posts on the zoo’s website, zookeepers described Ranchipur – Ranchi for short – as a beloved member of the herd and much more gentle than the average bull elephant. He cooperated well with keepers, an odd behavioral trait among males.

Ranchipur’s best friend in the herd, Cha Cha, died in 2012. The two were unlikely friends, zookeeper Lindsey Kraal wrote:

“Cha Cha’s best buddy was the least likely one in the herd, Ranchipur. The two of them would walk around the yard together, never too far apart. Both would share their food, and Ranchipur would even eat the food Cha Cha tossed on her back. Despite her smaller size, Cha Cha was able to push Ranchipur around, and he, being the easygoing guy that he is, allowed it.”

One challenge keepers had with Ranchipur was his propensity for packing on the pounds.

Usually, males elephants experience a period of heightened testosterone levels called “musth” – a pachyderm’s version of being in heat. During that time, the male elephant will shed a great deal of weight, foregoing food to flirt instead. In 2009, Ranchipur dropped a sizable 1,500 pounds.

But in 2010, it never happened for him, a year where he really needed a diet. He had been spending his nights with a female elephant, just to steal her food, and at one point he weighed in at almost 12,980 pounds. Obesity in his old age would do Ranchipur no favors. Especially since he had hip problems, senior zookeeper Ron Ringer wrote.

He remained rotund through 2011, when to zookeepers’ relief he came into musth.

“His appetite decreased to nothing, and he basically stared at the girls all day,” Ringer wrote.

Beyond his size and cool demeanor, Ranchipur was known at the zoo for his long and heavy tusks, which stretched as far as 6 1/2 feet and weighed 100 pounds each. They were so large, in fact, zookeepers would have to trim them, according to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.

Those famous tusks will be removed and disposed of, zoo spokesman Andrew James told CBS 8, so they will not reach the black market.

As news of Ranchipur’s death spread across social media, visitors and zookeepers expressed great sorrow.

In a post to Instagram, a man identifying himself as a zookeeper wrote a touching tribute.

“A deep sorrow comes across us all when we experience the passing of a family member. Ranchipur had been part of our San Diego Zoo family for a long time, and it was an honor to celebrate his 50th birthday not that long ago. Condolences to his closest family members, those who worked with him day in and day out, his human herd — I feel for you. Let the rest of us not forget the fortune we all had in knowing him by name & may he forever be known as the gentle giant that was like no other. Rest in peace dear Ranchi, you will be missed by many.”

Picture: AP

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(c) 2016, The Washington Post · Katie Mettler

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