Brookfield Elephant Passes Away

By Marcus Gilmer in Miscellaneous on May 17, 2009 7:30PM

Sad news from Brookfield Zoo where Affie, a 40-year-old African elephant, passed away. A zookeeper checked in with Affie at 4 a.m. and found her doing well, but at 8 a.m., she was found lying on her side. After hours trying to get her on her feet and to help her, she passed away around 2 p.m. According to WBBM:

Affie had exceeded the average 33-year life expectancy of a female African elephant in captivity, the zoo said.

As an older animal, she got special treatment, such as a special floor and a sand pile she could lean on.

"Affie was a special animal loved by guests and our staff," said Kim Smith, vice president of animal care. "It's heartbreaking to lose such a charismatic animal."

The zoo had a birthday celebration for Affie scheduled for mid-June; the elephant had been at Brookfield since coming over from Indianapolis in 1979.