Zoo Zlín elephant Kali dies after complex surgery

Zoo Zlín has announced the death of Kali, a long-time resident elephant, following a complex surgical procedure. The elephant had been suffering from a severe health issue involving a broken right tusk, which had developed an abscess.

After initial antibiotic treatments failed, the zoo consulted with experts from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin. Specialists determined that the infection was extensive and had reached the eye, making surgical removal of the remaining tusk necessary to prevent blindness and extreme pain.

A team of six international veterinary specialists performed the multi-hour operation under general anesthesia. Although the surgery successfully removed the affected tusk, Kali failed to wake up from the anesthesia. Kali had been a resident of the zoo since April 2003, having arrived from Kruger National Park in South Africa.