A California zoo had to euthanize one of its most beloved and oldest residents, a 47-year-old Asian elephant named Sujatha, officials said Wednesday.
Sujatha was euthanized in her enclosure on Tuesday surrounded by her caretakers at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
CEO Rich Block said in a video posted on Twitter that Sujatha's death "is perhaps the most difficult moment" in his 20 years at the facility.
This undated photo provided by the Santa Barbara Zoo shows Asian elephant Sujatha at the Santa Barbara Zoo in Santa Barbara, Calif. The zoo says it had to euthanize Sujatha who is one of its most beloved and oldest residents. Sujatha was euthanized Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, surrounded by her caretakers. (Santa Barbara Zoo via AP)
"And I know for the people that care for the elephants this may be the toughest moment in their entire career," Block said. "There is no way to describe the sadness that is felt."
Sujatha had been in declining health for the past few years but was able to live comfortably with treatment, Block said. Her well-being declined precipitously in the past couple weeks and she stopped responding to treatment, he said.
Sujatha and her female companion, Little Mac, arrived at the zoo from India in 1972, when they were just 1½ years old, and they've lived together ever since.
After Sujatha was euthanized, zoo officials say they allowed Little Mac to visit her in hopes of helping the grieving process.
Zoo officials say elephants are known to grieve for their companions and that if Little Mac is too distressed about losing her best friend or would like to be around other elephants, she could be moved to another facility.
"From 1972 until last night, they were together," Block said. "Best friends is probably a good way to categorize it. These were two remarkable animals."
Block praised Sujatha and Little Mac for being "ambassadors for Asian elephants in Santa Barbara for 46 years."
"Children who first met them in the 1970s have brought their own children, and some even their grandchildren, to meet these wonderful creatures," Block said in a statement. "We are grateful to Sujatha and Little Mac for how they have enriched all our lives."
JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
The Houthis said they shot down the Predator with a surface-to-air missile, part of a renewed series of assaults this week by the rebels after a relative lull in their pressure campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.
The Houthis described the downing as happening Thursday over their stronghold in the country's Saada province.
Footage released by the Houthis included what they described as the missile launch targeting the drone, with a man off-camera reciting the Houthi's slogan after it was hit: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”
The footage included several close-ups on parts of the drone that included the logo of General Atomics, which manufactures the drone, and serial numbers corresponding with known parts made by the company.
Since the Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels counting Thursday's shootdown — in 2017, 2019, 2023 and this year.
Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.
The drone shootdown comes as the Houthis launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily in the last months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the last week.
A Houthi supporter raises a mock rocket during a rally against the U.S. and Israel and to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
