Wellington Zoo elephant Kamala dies after 30 years' service - 150 years of news

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

The days of elephant rides at Wellington Zoo ended in 1983 when beloved attraction Kamala died after three decades of thrilling the crowds.

The zoo's 'first lady' was 52 when a keeper found her collapsed on the floor on Monday, June 13.

For two and a half hours zoo staff tried to get four-tonne Kamala on her feet again, even resorting to a truck and tractor. The elephant managed to walk out to her yard but then collapsed again and died at 1pm.

'She was extremely groggy and upset, but she was on her feet. Then she went down again,' zoo curator Alasdair Lees told The Evening Post. Her cause of death was colic.

'The staff have been greatly affected by the loss. Animals you handle daily become like old friends,' Lees told The Dominion.

Kamala arrived at Wellington Zoo in 1953, and was named by the city's children. She was a gift to New Zealand's children from the All India Women's Conference, in appreciation of the work done by aid organisation Corso.

'Since that time, she has carried thousands of people around the zoo on her back during her afternoon ride sessions,' the Post reported.

'And while there was many a child who initially refused to have a ride, having been daunted by her size, Kam's placid nature would always win them over eventually.'

Kamala earned her keep not only by giving rides, but helping keepers and gardeners, the Post said. The only time in 30 years she appeared shy was during a great tug-of-war, when the sight of dozens of children on the end of a rope caused her to back away.

Zoo boss Lees sang Kamala's praises.

'Out of all the elephants I have worked with, she was totally safe and very friendly. You could take her all around the zoo, she was so good-natured. Oh, she might pull out the odd shrub now and again, but you could take her through crowds of people.'

Kamala was buried at the zoo, and her skeleton was later given to the Museum of New Zealand.

Wellington mayor Michael Fowler launched an appeal to raise $25,000 for another elephant. But Ministry of Agriculture requirements for a new elephant house with a yard and a companion elephant raised the price to $2 million, and the plan was abandoned. The zoo has not had an elephant since, and Kamala's distinctive Indian-domed house was demolished in 2010.

Speaking to The Dominion Post in 2011, Kamala's old keeper Murray Roberts remembered finding the 'wonderful animal' dying.

'That was a pretty traumatic day. The thing that I remember – and I can still get quite emotional about it – is when I found her on the floor. I knelt down and spoke softly to her and she lifted her trunk and put it in my face.'