Santa Barbara Zoo’s last elephant receiving hospice care

Little Mac, Santa Barbara Zoo’s last elephant, is receiving hospice care following a sharp decline in her physical condition over the past two weeks.

Little Mac is a 48-year-old Asian elephant and was brought to the zoo in 1972 with her companion Sujatha.

Sujatha died on October 16 of last year at 47 years old.

In recent months, Little Mac has suffered from intermittent gastrointestinal issues after a bout of colic in mid-June. She has since lost weight from that issue.

She has had low activity levels and less engagement in training along with the loss of appetite.

Last week, zoo officials were able to detect blood in Little Mac’s dung, for which she has been treated.

She has also been receiving treatments for several ongoing medical conditions that is common with geriatric elephants, including chronic arthritis.

After exhausting all their treatment options, the zoo is keeping her as comfortable for as long as possible.

Little Mac’s hospice care includes treating her symptoms, providing her with drugs to increase her comfort and engaging her with her usual training if she chooses to participate. The zoo’s president and CEO Rich Block said in a statement, “This is certainly not the outcome we had hoped for or have worked toward. It is time to start considering euthanasia as a compassionate and respectful option for her. We’ve gone public about this to allow all of us to begun to cope with her passing.”

The zoo has asked Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care to provide guidance for zoo staff and guests in dealing with anticipatory grief, similar to that experienced by families with a loved one in hospice care.

Little Mac has exceeded the median life expectancy for Asian elephants in human care which was 46.9 years.

In 2018, after Sujatha died, the zoo’s CEO announced that the Santa Barbara Zoo’s elephant program will end once Little Mac passes.