Elephant's remains cremated, memorial being planned

The body of Hansa, Woodland Park Zoo's charismatic young elephant, was cremated early Saturday as zoo officials searched for the cause of her unexpected death, animal activists renewed their criticism about how zoos treat elephants, and parents told children that their gray friend was gone.

Hansa's body was taken to a crematorium in Aberdeen that specializes in large animals, zoo spokeswoman Gigi Allianic said.

Zoo officials are still discussing plans for a memorial service, she said.

Outside the zoo's south entrance, bouquets and other tokens of affection were left by Hansa's human friends; more flowers and children's drawings were in the Elephant Forest and the Zoomazium play area. One bouquet, on closer inspection, turned out to be a bunch of carrots; another was accompanied by a big pink-and-purple stuffed elephant.

Zoo workers said the three remaining elephants — including Hansa's mother, Chai — seemed to be in better spirits than on Friday. At the elephant barn, which was reopened to visitors yesterday, the zoo's three adult elephants munched hay and appeared to be behaving normally.

"I think the elephants are sad 'cause the baby elephant died," said Laurie Ausmus' 4-year-old niece, Marlowe, as they watched the pachyderms. "Poor baby elephant."

Reminders of Hansa's status as the zoo's unofficial mascot abounded, from the metal sculpture that kids climbed on in the Zoomazium to photos of her and Chai on "zoo parents" placards.

Investigation requested

On Friday, tissue samples and organ cultures were taken from Hansa and sent to various labs for analysis. Results won't be available for at least several days, Allianic said, and possibly not for as long as six weeks.

Hansa had been ailing since May 31 with colicky symptoms, including abdominal discomfort, loss of appetite and decreased activity. She was treated with antibiotics and extra fluids and had appeared to be slowly getting better, until her keepers found her dead early Friday.

The 6 ½-year-old elephant weighed about 5,100 pounds, still well short of full adult weight.

In Defense of Animals (IDA), a California-based animal-protection organization, wrote to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Saturday asking it to investigate Hansa's death. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has regulatory authority over zoos.

Catherine Doyle, campaign director for the group, said Hansa's symptoms and her history of eating sand and dirt suggested that she might have died from an intestinal blockage. An IDA survey of medical records at 35 zoos found that, between 2000 and 2005, 24 percent of elephants suffered from digestive problems.

In its letter, the group also suggested that the zoo's 1-acre elephant enclosure was too small for four elephants and may have indirectly contributed to Hansa's death. Elephants in the wild walk up to 14 miles a day, Doyle said; in a confined space, she said, they can trample the grass and expose more dirt, which increases the chance elephants will ingest it with their food.

Allianic, however, dismissed allegations.

"That was behavior when Hansa was very young," she said. "She outgrew ingesting sand — she has not ingested sand for several years."

The zoo is hoping that Chai might be able to bear another baby elephant. Hansa's mother, who is 28, was artificially inseminated in March; because elephants' menstrual cycles last three to four months, zoo officials won't know until later this month whether Chai is pregnant.

Hansa was conceived after Chai mated with a bull elephant in Missouri; several subsequent attempts to impregnate her artificially have failed.

Drew DeSilver: 206-464-3145