Oldest Asian Elephant At The San Antonio Zoo, Lucky, Celebrates Her 60th Birthday
Apr 08, 2020 by apost team
This past Sunday, Lucky the elephant turned 60 years old. To live as long as that means that Lucky has exceeded her species' average life expectancy by an entire decade. Her home, the San Antonio Zoo, celebrated her birthday on Facebook live. With a livestreamed birthday party, the Zoo threw a celebration for Lucky that is almost as huge as she is.
Lucky is an Asian elephant at the San Antonio Zoo and celebrated her 60th birthday this past Sunday. The caretakers made her a large cake out of fruits and vegetables and live-streamed the whole birthday bash. During the stream, one of the zoo's animal care specialists, Candace Gutierrez, said:
"The significance of Lucky being 60 years old is very big. It's a tribute to the care that they get with our staff. Their wild counterparts do not live as long because again their teeth wear down, their eyesight changes, even their hearing and their skin is sensitive."
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Having been at the San Antonio Zoo since 1962, keepers say that Lucky is one of the sweetest and most laid-back elephants at the zoo. She is known as a big fan of treats and playing fetch.
Gutierrez said that the reason Asian elephants in zoos tend to outlive their average life expectancy is because they receive special food, daily foot work, and body checks.
The zoo's president, Tim Morrow, decided to use Lucky's virtual birthday party as an opportunity to fundraise since the zoo is hurting financially due to coronavirus lockdowns. According to CNN, Morrow said that costs the zoo $3,500 a month to feed just one Asain elephant. During the live stream, Morrow told viewers:
"Unlike most zoos in the country, San Antonio Zoo depends 100% on ticket sales, guest spending, grants, and donations to operate. With no visitors, the zoo has lost almost the entirety of its income."
What do you think about Lucky's birthday bash? Have you ever known of an elephant living to be that old? Let us know your thoughts and be sure to pass this on, especially to elephant and animal lovers, so they can enjoy Lucky's birthday party, too!