PORTLAND — Oregon Zoo officials in Portland say they have euthanized a 31-year-old elephant known for an apparent enthusiasm for painting. Officials decided Rama was in too much pain from an old leg injury.
The Oregonian reports that Rama was euthanized Monday. Zoo officials say physical therapy techniques and medications were no longer working, and new modifications did not improve quality of life.
The elephant’s leg was injured in 1990 when older female elephants pushed the young bull out of the zoo’s herd, a practice seen in the wild. Rama fell into a moat, which has since been filled.
Rama was a son of the zoo’s patriarch elephant, Packy, who survives him.
Officials said Rama had a sweet temperament and seemed to love to paint. His art was displayed in a Portland gallery.
