Iringa, an African elephant and longtime resident of the Toronto Zoo has died.

The pachyderm was euthanized yesterday morning at the ARK 2000 wildlife sanctuary in San Andreas, California.

At the time of her death the 46-year-old was among the oldest African elephants in North America.

According to a press release from the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) she was put down after a long history of joint and foot disease.

Iringa was born in Mozambique, Africa, in 1969 and joined the elephant exhibit at the Toronto Zoo in 1974.

The future of the elephants at the zoo became the topic of international debate after four of them died in a relatively short time.

In the end, the three remaining elephants were shipped to the PAWS sanctuary in 2013.

A statement from the Toronto Zoo described Iringa as “a wonderful blend of intelligence and unpredictability.

“While we are filled with overwhelming sadness we take comfort in the memories this spectacular elephant provided to our staff, volunteers, members and the millions of visitors who were fortunate enough to meet Iringa over the years,” It read.