BRONX — Happy, an Asian elephant at the Bronx Zoo, was euthanized on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at age 55 due to declining health. Zoo officials stated that Happy’s age-related conditions accelerated in recent weeks and she showed signs of declining kidney or liver function.

A necropsy revealed that Happy had arthritis and large, inoperable uterine tumors that cannot be diagnosed in elephants through standard exams or imaging. In her final weeks, Happy chose to stay in an off-exhibit barn and yard within her enclosure, according to Craig Piper, interim zoo director. Staff provided hydration, nutrition, and pain management as a form of hospice care during that time.

Happy lived at the Bronx Zoo for nearly 50 years after arriving in 1977. She was born in the wild in Asia and brought to the U.S. as a 1-year-old. Happy was named after a character from 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' before her arrival at the zoo. She engaged readily with her keepers and was easily motivated with treats like watermelon or strawberries, according to Keith Lovett, the zoo’s director of animal programs.

“She was a wonderful elephant,” said Craig Piper, interim zoo director. “She served as a tremendous ambassador for elephants and for elephant conservation.” He added that Happy sometimes stashed treats in her ear to save for later.

In 2005, Happy demonstrated that elephants can recognize themselves in a mirror by repeatedly using her trunk to touch an 'X' painted above her eye that she could only see in the mirror. Happy was paired with other elephants until her last partner died in 2006. After that, she lived separately from Patty and a third elephant named Maxine due to compatibility concerns, though they could see, smell, and touch each other over a divider, according to Lovett. Maxine died in 2018.

The Nonhuman Rights Project sued the Bronx Zoo in 2018 seeking to have Happy declared a legal 'person' and moved to a sanctuary. The group stated Happy was “an extraordinarily cognitively complex and autonomous nonhuman being” who was unlawfully deprived of her liberty. The New York Court of Appeals rejected the claim in a 5-2 decision.

Following Happy’s death, Patty, age 57, is the last elephant on exhibit in New York City. “We will be really thoughtful and careful in contemplating whether to move Patty from her home of 53 years,” said Piper. The Wildlife Conservation Society, the Bronx Zoo’s parent institution, decided 20 years ago to stop acquiring elephants.