Manila Zoo has put on display the taxidermied remains of Mali, an elephant who lived alone in captivity for over 40 years and was dubbed the 'world's saddest elephant'. While city officials see this as a tribute, animal rights groups criticize the move as exploitative and a final insult to the elephant who suffered from neglect.
The story of Mali, the world's 'saddest' elephant, just grew sadder. In December 2024, the remains of Mali, who died of congestive heart failure in November 2023, were brought back to Manila Zoo to be put on display after undergoing an 11-month taxidermy. City officials paint this as a tribute to an animal that stirred the imagination of countless visitors to the zoo — including the city's current mayor — over the last four decades.
But from the suffering elephant's perspective, it might well be the final insult in a hard life lived alone in captivity. It also speaks of greed that has no problem putting on display the carcass of the long-suffering creature so that it can continue to earn even after her death. Visitors view the stuffed remains of the elephant Mali on display at the Manila Zoo in Malate, Manila, on Dec 28, 2024. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN Mali, an Asian elephant, was born in Sri Lanka, which gifted her to then-first lady Imelda Marcos. Mali was transferred to the Manila Zoo when she was 3 years old, where she lived in a concrete pen for more than 40 years. Mali was dubbed the world's saddest elephant because she was the only captive elephant in the Philippines and lived alone in the zoo for decades, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said. 'Because of indifference and greed, Mali the elephant died the same way she had lived for nearly 50 years: alone in a concrete pen at the Manila Zoo,' PETA said upon her death. 'The Manila Zoo and the city of Manila sentenced Mali to decades of solitary confinement, which is torturous for female elephants, who naturally would spend their lives among their mothers and sisters, protecting one another and raising each other's calves.' Despite repeated warnings, zoo and city officials ignored Mali's clearly painful foot problems, which are the leading cause of death in captive elephants, sentencing her to years of suffering
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