The oldest elephant ever was Lin Wang, an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), who died on 26 February 2003 aged 86, at Taipei Zoo, Taiwan.

Grandpa Lin, as he became known, carried supplies through the jungles of Myanmar (formerly Burma) for the Japanese army, during World War II. He was even taken prisoner by the Chinese in 1943. Lin Wang retired to the Zoo in 1954. The average age of an Asian elephant is 60 years.