MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Zoo is mourning the loss of Brittany, a beloved 45-year-old elephant who was humanely euthanized on Friday following a decline in her health.
"In the zoo, there are things that are born here, there are things that live here and there are things that pass away here," Milwaukee County Zoo Executive Director Amos Morris said.
Brittany lived well beyond the average elephant life expectancy of about 39 years. Zoo leaders said the decision was made to ensure she did not struggle, allowing her to pass with a level of dignity, respect and kindness.
"It’s very similar to a hospice situation. She had lost a considerable amount of weight, her blood values. It was really a matter of time," Morris said.
Morris said one of the greatest gifts is humane euthanasia because it reduces stress and reduces an animals inability to function.
The loss is deeply personal for the team who cared for her daily.
"She went to sleep, she laid down. While she was passing away her whole support staff was surrounding her," Morris said.
Brittany was known for being calm, patient, and doing well with her care team and guest interactions.
"These are by no means pets but the staff take care of them everyday. They are very attached to these animals," Morris said. "It does take a toll on the team and their mood."
Families who frequent the zoo are also feeling the loss.
Killian Collins, his wife and kids said visiting the elephant habitat has been a regular part of their routine, especially since the new elephant habitat was built in 2019.
"They built the whole elephant piece and we come here all the time for it. We see every elephant get brought in," Collins said.
Collins said that the loss is obvious, and he feels it too.
"They got tens of thousand of animals at the zoo there’s no way we can hear about all of them. But the big ones are easier to identify there’s less of them here," Collins said.
Attention has now turned to Brittany's herd mate, Belle. Because elephants are highly social animals, zoo staff tried mimicking the natural world by giving Belle the opportunity to say goodbye to her friend.
"I would say she was saying goodbye to a friend," Morris said.
"You know what’s going to happen, obviously. You worry more about not just the passing of the one but more about how the rest are doing, how it affects the zoo overall," Collins said.
Morris said the Milwaukee County Zoo will always have elephants, though there might be an ebb and flow because acquiring them is complicated. The zoo plans to work with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan to assist the elephant population moving forward.
"You can’t just Facebook marketplace another elephant to get one in here. Hopefully the one that’s left here will do well and we’ll get more but it was really sad to know that one had gone. We miss them. We always will," Collins said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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