Oakland Zoo elephant M'Dunda collapses, dies

M'Dunda, the eldest African elephant at the Oakland Zoo, died unexpectly on Dec. 3rd, 2019. M'Dunda, the eldest African elephant at the Oakland Zoo, died unexpectly on Dec. 3rd, 2019. Photo: Courtesy Oakland Zoo Photo: Courtesy Oakland Zoo Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Oakland Zoo elephant M'Dunda collapses, dies 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Just months after celebrating her 50th birthday, the Oakland Zoo's eldest African elephant M'Dunda collapsed and died unexpectedly on Tuesday afternoon.

Around 2:45 p.m., zoo staff discovered M'Dunda collapsed inside the zoo's elephant habitat. The area was secured as quickly as possible, and the zoo's veterinary staff attended to the elephant but found she had already passed away.

"M'Dunda has been part of our Oakland Zoo family for 26 years," said Dr. Joel Parrott, President & CEO of Oakland Zoo. "She was such a gentle being and closely bonded with her keepers. We'll miss her greatly."

Born in the wild in Zimbabwe, M'Dunda's first home in captivity was the San Diego Zoo. She moved to the Oakland Zoo in 1993. M'Dunda was known for her long, beautiful tusks and gentle demeanor, although she would occasionally spar with Osh, the male elephant, according to the zoo. She was regularly examined by the zoo's veterinarians for any health issues, which included foot soles inspections and blood work, and there was no indication of any problems. This past September, the zoo held a 50th birthday celebration for the gentle giant, which included some of her favorite treats.

She was one of four elephants at the zoo.

M'Dunda far outlived the median lifespan of an African elephant in captivity, which according to the zoo, is 17 years. In the wild, the median age of death for an African Elephant is 56 years. She was the third-oldest elephant in captivity at an Association of Zoos and Aquariums facility in the United States.

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M'Dunda's body was transported to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine on Tuesday evening to determine how she died.

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Online Photo Editor Douglas Zimmerman oversees SFGATE's Instagram and covers the Bay Area soccer scene on SFGATE's Beautiful Blog. View his latest stories and send him news tips at dzimmerman@sfgate.com. Follow on Twitter @zimpix

