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Kansas zoo elephant died of heart disease

Cinda- courtesy photo
Cinda- courtesy photo

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Tests show that an elephant at the Sedgwick County Zoo died of age-related heart disease.

The zoo’s associate veterinarian, Sandy Wilson, said Wednesday that pathology tests showed the elephant, called Cinda, had heart disease. She was 43 when she died Nov. 5.

The Wichita Eagle reports  the zoo was surprised by Cinda’s death because she had shown few symptoms and was eating and behaving normally at the time.

Cinda arrived with another elephant, Stephanie, from South Africa in 1972, a year after the zoo opened.

Stephanie is now the zoo’s only elephant.

The zoo is raising money to build a $10.3 million zoo exhibit and bring more elephants to Wichita by the time the exhibit opens in 2016.

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