LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A post-mortem exam has concluded a 3-year-old African elephant that died at the Louisville Zoo earlier this year had a common complication of colic.
The zoo, in a release Tuesday, said Scotty, the first elephant born in the facility's 41-year history, died in early May after contracting endotoxemia, which happens when bacteria leaks from the intestinal tract into the bloodstream.
Scotty was born March 18, 2007. The zoo has two other elephants. One is Scotty's mother, Mikki. The other elephant, Punch, is also a female.
Zoo veterinarian Dr. Roy Burns said in a statement that Scotty received aggressive treatment, but endotoxemia is frequently fatal.
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