Punga, a male elephant at the Reid Park Zoo, died unexpectedly Tuesday due to a double mesenteric root torsion, more commonly known as a twisted gut.

The zoo team started noticing the 11-year-old showing signs of discomfort Tuesday morning, according to a zoo press release. 

A team at the zoo responded immediately to provide care, but recovery from the condition is "nearly impossibly," the zoo's veterinarian Alexis Moreno said. 

"Our team is devastated and it makes us feel rather helpless, but there is nothing we could have done differently to change the outcome." 

The animal care team at the zoo provided the other elephants at the zoo access to Punga's body for an opportunity to process and mourn the death. 

“Because elephants have complex social structures and deep family bonds we wanted to ensure they had an opportunity to grieve as we all do,” interim zoo administrator Sue Tygielski said. 

The zoo performed a full necropsy on the animal to help determine the exact cause of death. Torsions are more common in horses than elephants, Moreno said, so the zoo is hoping this will help increase understanding of how and why this condition affects certain animals. 

Results are expected within the next few weeks. 

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