Illness of Elephant, 59, Is Studied

Ambika, an Asian elephant, lost her appetite and grew lethargic. (National Zoo)

Veterinarians performed tests on one of the National Zoo's Asian elephants yesterday in hopes of figuring out why she lost her appetite and grew lethargic last month.

Zoo officials expressed concern about Ambika, one of three elephants at the animal park and, at 59, one of the oldest Asian elephants in the country. The symptoms appeared in late January, along with a low red blood cell count. Although Ambika has shown signs of improvement, the zoo wants to pinpoint what was wrong.

Zoo veterinarians were assisted yesterday by an outside consultant in performing an ultrasound examination as part of an overall health evaluation. They are awaiting the results.

The zoo's other Asian elephants are Shanthi, 32, and Kandula, Shanthi's 5-year-old male calf. Last year, the zoo euthanized Toni, a 40-year-old Asian elephant that had severe arthritis.