At 55 years old, Tamy passed away. The animal was receiving veterinary care permanently for its joint pains, and had a special enclosure for training and being taken to the Sanctuary in Brazil.
His case presented greater difficulty due to his age, the problems he had from his life in the circus, and his physical conditions.
Tamy, the 55-year-old Asian elephant that arrived in Mendoza after a circus left him because they couldn’t take him to Chile, passed away in the last hours.
In recent years, efforts were made to improve his well-being and prepare him for transfer to a sanctuary in Brazil. In the next few hours, a necropsy will be performed to determine the details of his death.
The animal arrived at the former Mendoza Zoo in 1984 after being left by the Hermanas Gasca Circus, which, lacking permits to transport the animal, decided to “donate” him and continue their journey.
For a decade, the Biodiversity Department and Mendoza Ecopark government, together with the Franz Weber Foundation and the Elephant Sanctuary in Brazil, worked continuously on a conversion plan that included refurbishing his space, a protocol of constant veterinary care, and a positive training system.
Tamy, who was preparing for his transfer to the sanctuary, dies
The goal was to explore the possibility of preparing for his eventual transfer to the sanctuary located in Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso state.
Tamy had also been evaluated by professionals from the Global Sanctuary for Elephants in Brazil, who recommended adjusting his medication, enhancing his diet, and adapting his enclosure to address the effects of aging and the damage caused by decades of captivity.
The enclosure where Tamy lived —previously inhabited by Pocha and Guillermina, successfully relocated to the sanctuary in 2022</strong— had been specially adapted to his needs. It had training gates, shaded areas, increased comfort, and controlled contact with the human team, which monitored his progress daily.
Intensive work on the elephant
A multidisciplinary team worked with Tamy for his release, as was done with the two elephants Pocha and Guillermina and with the Bengal tigress Lucy, transferred to a sanctuary in Minnesota, USA.
In addition to having constant monitoring and medication, Tamy had been cared for by Ingo Schmidinger, an expert specialized in elephants, who for over 25 years has worked on issues related to captive pachyderms in zoos and similar institutions.
Schmidinger optimized Tamy’s daily routine by applying techniques of positive reinforcement and operant conditioning. He also enhanced the training of the local team of caretakers and veterinarians, providing tools for a safe and respectful interaction with the animal.
Johana Rincón Alba, a veterinarian and zootechnician from the Franz Weber Foundation, joined the technical team with regular visits focused on positive conditioning to enable the transfer to Brazil.
Although his transfer was planned for the future and all administrative and health requirements were in order, his delicate health condition had forced the relocation to be postponed. Finally, Tamy passed away surrounded by the team that had worked for years to give him a second chance.
