The world’s ‘saddest elephant,’ Mali, died after dealing with severe health issues after confinement for decades at the Philippines’ Manila Zoo, where she was able to spend the majority of her life isolated in a pen.
Honey Lacuna, the mayor of the city, announced the sad news on Wednesday during a local news conference. The official announcement came one day after Dr Heinrich Patrick Peña-Domingo, the chief veterinarian of the zoo, confirmed how the captive elephant was suffering from cancer in certain organs and also dealing with a blockage inside her aorta.
The diagnosis appeared on Friday when Mali was spotted rubbing her trunk repeatedly against a wall. This indicated that she was suffering from pain. Then, on Tuesday, she laid down on her side and was breathing heavily for hours before passing away towards the end of the day.
Mali’s Life At Manila Zoo:
Mali’s full name is Vishwamali. She was only 11 months old when the Sri Lankan government gifted her to Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines, in 1981. During Mali’s initial years, she resided at Manila Zoo along with Shiva, another elephant who passed away in 1990 after coming in 1977.
Since then, Mali has been the only resident elephant at the zoo, living a solitary life until her unfortunate demise recently.
Activists for animal rights have criticized the Manila Zoo for a long time now, blasting the management for not providing animals with the right care.
In 2013, Paul McCartney actually wrote to Benigno Aquino III, the President of the Philippines, begging for Mali to be moved to somewhere better, like an animal sanctuary that can end her suffering. Moreover, PETA also said at the time how Mali deals with “Endures intense confinement, loneliness, boredom and isolation at the zoo.”
The efforts actually never amounted to any good thing for the elephant. PETA even took to X to express their condolences for Mali, “One of the world’s saddest elephants has passed away. We’re so sorry, Mali. You deserved better.”
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