Happy, who taught researchers that elephants can recognize themselves, is euthanized at Bronx Zoo

Happy, an Asian elephant at the Bronx Zoo, was euthanized Tuesday and died Wednesday at age 55 after age-related conditions accelerated. Zoo officials cited signs of declining kidney or liver function in recent weeks. A necropsy found arthritis and large, inoperable uterine tumors that cannot be diagnosed in elephants via exams or imaging. After Happy’s death, Patty, age 57, became the last elephant on exhibit in the United States’ largest city. The Wildlife Conservation Society stopped acquiring pachyderms 20 years earlier. Born in the wild in Asia, Happy arrived in the U.S. at age one, was named for a “Snow White” character, and came to the zoo in 1977. In 2005, she demonstrated mirror self-recognition by touching an “X” visible only in the mirror.

"The Asian elephant was put to sleep Tuesday at the zoo where she lived for almost a half-century. Zoo officials said some age-related conditions accelerated in recent weeks, and she showed signs of a falloff in kidney or liver function. A necropsy revealed arthritis and large, inoperable uterine tumors that are impossible to diagnose in elephants through exams or imaging, the zoo said."

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