At about 4:30 this morning, Sunda the elephant woke up inside her barn but couldn’t stand up. “Arriving to work and finding a down elephant is your biggest fear when you work with elephants,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “We work with geriatric elephants. We train for this.”
The elephant care team moved the other elephants to the outdoor habitat and gave Sunda some time to see if she could get up on her own. “She was trying,” said Wiley. “She was rocking back and forth but just couldn’t get her legs under her.” By 8:00 arrangements had been made to borrow a piece of lifting equipment from a nearby zoo. Attempts were made using airbags to try to give the elephant a little extra help. The airbags were unsuccessful.
At about 9:30 Zoo staff and a group of tactical rescue firefighters from the Topeka Fire Department began the process of using straps, pulleys and ropes to lift Sunda into a standing position. About five minutes after noon, Sunda was lifted and she was able to get her feet under her and stand. Moments later, she was searching for food and interacting with her care team.
“Right now, she appears to be doing well. Having said that, we know that we are in a race with time that we can’t win,” said Wiley. “She is an old elephant and she is a very loved elephant. Her age and health issues tell us that she most likely won’t be with us much longer. Our commitment to her stays the same; we will do everything we can for her as long as we can until her quality of life no longer benefits from it.”
Sunda is a 58 year old Asian elephant. She has called Topeka home for 52 years. She is experiencing kidney issues and has a mass in her reproductive system. Recently she underwent a medical procedure to evaluate a sore behind her ear that is reluctant to heal. Biopsies and cultures are still pending from that procedure.
Sunda and the Topeka Fire Department are the true heroes of this morning’s events. The Zoo is eternally grateful for the support it receives from our Fire Department.