Mali died of congestive heart failure - zoo

Mali, the Philippines' lone elephant, died of congestive heart failure, Manila Zoo's resident veterinarian said yesterday.

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In a press conference, Heinrich Patrick PeñaDomingo said that based on necropsy findings, Mali had a cancerous growth on her pancreas, nodules around the liver, slightly inflamed kidneys and aorta blockage.

It was a challenging task for Mali's heart to pump blood with those conditions, he said.

"There was thick fat that blocked her aorta, which may be the cause of her death. Her heart had difficulty pumping enough blood to the body due to the number of organs affected," Domingo said in Filipino.

Domingo said Mali displayed signs of irritability on Friday, eventually losing her appetite.

Despite the zookeepers' efforts, Mali's health deteriorated rapidly, leading to her death on Tuesday afternoon, according to the veterinarian.

Setting record straight