“World’s saddest elephant” dies after 45 years of captivity

Mali — an Asian elephant gifted to former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos by the Sri Lankan government in 1981 and held captive at Manila Zoo in the Philippines for 45 years — has died. The announcement of her death was made during a news conference held on Wednesday by the city’s mayor, Honey Lacuna, and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is outraged as they’d extended an offer to transport her to a sanctuary, but their offer was turned down.

Often referred to as the “world’s saddest elephant” because she lived completely alone in what PETA is calling a “barren” enclosure where she endured “intense confinement, loneliness, boredom and isolation,” Mali was seen rubbing her trunk against a wall towards the end of her life, which Dr. Heinrich Patrick Peña-Domingo, the chief veterinarian at the zoo, said is an indicator that she was in pain. According to CBS News, “vets gave her antihistamines and vitamins when she was breathing heavily on Tuesday, but she died later that day.” In a statement to CBS News, PETA Asia said Mali died because of “indifference and greed.”

“Despite PETA’s repeated warnings, zoo and city officials ignored Mali’s clearly painful foot problems, sentencing her to years of suffering,” PETA Asia’s statement furthers “The Manila Zoo has announced that Mali had cancer that was not detected by their veterinarians until after she died. Due to the fact that there is no elephant expert in the country, Mali was never provided with routine veterinary care—something she would have been given at the sanctuary PETA was prepared to transfer her to.”