Suki the Elephant (1964-2024)
Obituary
Suki, an Asian elephant, passed away at 60 years old after spending nearly 30 of those years at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, WA.
Suki was euthanized after her health declined significantly over several weeks. Suki was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2019 and suffered from chronic arthritis and uterine tumors. It is suspected that she suffered a stroke at some point in the weeks before her death as she had been showing signs of cognitive decline. Suki had been a circus elephant before coming to Point Defiance Zoo, a trauma requiring her to need “protected contact” in which elephants and their keepers never share the same space.
Suki was the last elephant who will be captive at Point Defiance Zoo as the venue will be closing its elephant exhibit permanently, following a growing trend among zoos recognizing the immense suffering for elephants in captive environments. In fact, Suki was the last captive elephant in Washington state. The average life expectancy for elephants in captivity is 48 years, despite their notable longevity in the wild of 60+ year lifespans.
Wild animals have a right to a wild life. World Animal Protection encourages everyone to only visit sites that offer observation of animals in their natural wild habitats, such as Wildlife Heritage Areas, or to support accredited wild animal sanctuaries providing care to animals who cannot be released to the wild.
