 Shanthi, April 2007 | |
| Species | Elephas maximus maximus |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Born | 1975 Sri Lanka |
| Died | June 26, 2020 (aged 45) Smithsonian National Zoological Park |
| Cause of death | Osteoarthritis |
| Known for | Most studied Asian elephant ever, elephant gifted to Jimmy Carter by Sri Lanka |
Shanthi (1975-2020) was an Asian elephant gifted to the US by Sri Lanka in 1976. She is considered to be the most studied Asian elephant ever. [1] [2]
Shanthi was born in Sri Lanka around 1975 and lived at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage until 1976. [3]
In 1976, Shanthi was flown from Sri Lanka to the US. The orphaned calf was a state gift from William Gopallawa and the children of Sri Lanka to the children of the United States. At an April 2 1977 ceremony at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., she was symbolically handed over by Punitha Gunaratne, the daughter of a Sri Lankan Embassy official, to Amy Carter, the daughter of President Jimmy Carter. [4]
Shanthi was the mother of Kumari, a female who was born in 1993 but died in 1995 of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus. She also gave birth in 2001 to Kandula, a male who is currently a resident of the Oklahoma City Zoo. [2]
Shanthi, after completing her 45th anniversary, was euthanized on June 26, 2020 at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., after decades of increasingly debilitating osteoarthritis. [4]
“After decades of managing and treating Shanthi’s osteoarthritis, animal care staff recently noted that her physical condition had irreversibly declined,” the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute said in a statement. “They elected to humanely euthanize her June 26. Shanthi was estimated to be around 45 years old.” [3]
The Zoo also reported in a press release that keepers and care staff had used several innovative treatments over the years to help mitigate the impacts of Shanthi’s degenerative condition. She was the first of her kind to receive therapies including injections of a protein serum to slow disease progression. [1]
The National Zoological Park, commonly known as the National Zoo, is one of the oldest zoos in the United States. The zoo is part of the Smithsonian Institution and does not charge admission. Founded in 1889, its mission is to "provide engaging experiences with animals and create and share knowledge to save wildlife and habitats".
The Oregon Zoo, originally the Portland Zoo and later the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of downtown Portland. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi River.
Amy Lynn Carter is the daughter of the 39th U.S. president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. Carter entered the limelight as a child when she lived in the White House during the Carter presidency.
The Indianapolis Zoo is a 64-acre (26 ha) non-profit zoo, public aquarium, and botanical garden in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Incorporated in 1944, the Indianapolis Zoological Society established the first zoo at George Washington Park in 1964. The current zoo opened in 1988 at White River State Park near downtown Indianapolis. It is among the largest privately funded zoos in the U.S.
The Karachi Zoo, also known as Karachi Zoological and Botanical Gardens, formerly known as Gandhi Garden, is located in Garden East, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in 1899, it is the largest zoo of Pakistan and second oldest zoo in the country after Lahore Zoo.
The Sri Lankan elephant is native to Sri Lanka and one of three recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant. It is the type subspecies of the Asian elephant and was first described by Carl Linnaeus under the binomial Elephas maximus in 1758. The Sri Lankan elephant population is now largely restricted to the dry zone in the north, east and southeast of Sri Lanka. Elephants are present in Udawalawe National Park, Yala National Park, Lunugamvehera National Park, Wilpattu National Park and Minneriya National Park but also live outside protected areas. It is estimated that Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants in Asia. Human-elephant conflict is increasing due to conversion of elephant habitat to settlements and permanent cultivation.
Shanti may refer to:
Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing were two giant pandas given to the United States as gifts by the government of China following President Richard Nixon's visit in 1972. As a gift, the U.S. government sent China a pair of musk oxen.
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Dunk, a tuskless, male Asian Elephant possibly from Ceylon, was the first elephant to reside at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. He was given to the National Zoo on April 30, 1891 by James E. Cooper, owner and manager of the Adam Forepaugh Circus.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, is a captive breeding and conservation institute for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawala village, 13 km (8.1 mi) northeast of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Pinnawala has the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. In 2023, there were 71 elephants, including 30 males and 41 females from 3 generations, living in Pinnawala.
Packy was an Asian elephant at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon, United States. He was famous for having been the first elephant born in the Western Hemisphere in 44 years. At the time of his death, he was the oldest male Asian elephant in North America. With a shoulder height of 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 m) and overall height of more than 12 feet (3.7 m) when standing up straight, Packy was also one of the tallest elephants in the United States and perhaps one of the tallest worldwide.
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Dan Albert John Koehl is a French-Swedish zookeeper, elephant trainer, and stablemaster. An author of the Elephant Encyclopedia, he has been described as "one of Europe's most renowned experts on elephants".
Kaavan is a male Asian elephant known as the "world's loneliest elephant" since his partner, 22-year-old Saheli, died in 2012. Kaavan was gifted by the government of Sri Lanka to Pakistan in 1985. He remained at the Islamabad Zoo until November 2020, when he was moved to a sanctuary in Cambodia, in response to a campaign launched by local and international animal rights activists, led by American singer Cher.
Vishwa Ma'ali, commonly known as Mali, was a female Asian elephant who lived at Manila Zoo in Manila, Philippines. Born in Sri Lanka, she was given as a gift to First Lady Imelda Marcos by the Sri Lankan government in 1981 and lived at Manila Zoo from then on. For most of her life, she was the only elephant in the Philippines and was a subject of concern for animal welfare advocates. She was described as the world's "saddest" elephant.
Jayathu was a baby elephant given to Ronald Reagan by the president of Sri Lanka, J. R. Jayewardene, as a state gift.
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