This year has been a difficult time for Fredzia, a young female African elephant at Warsaw Zoo in the Polish capital. The zoo’s four elephants became three in March, following the death of Erna, the largest female and elder of the herd. Erna’s death left Fredzia in mourning, putting her under stress. Zoo keepers noticed
This year has been a difficult time for Fredzia, a young female African elephant at Warsaw Zoo in the Polish capital.
The zoo’s four elephants became three in March, following the death of Erna, the largest female and elder of the herd.
Erna’s death left Fredzia in mourning, putting her under stress.
Zoo keepers noticed an immediate change in Frezia’s behaviour, as she attempted to make sense of life without Erna.
“Fredzia reacted strangely when she saw Erna’s body. She was really excited,” Dr Agnieszka Czujkowska, head of the zoo’s Animal Rehabilitation Department, told the BBC. “But you could see that she was also grieving actually, she was also depressed.”
Since then, zoo keepers say Fredzia has displayed signs of stress, as she struggles to establish a new relationship with her female companion, Buba. It can take months or even years for elephants to cope with the loss of an elder and restore a sense of harmony within the herd.
