Australia's Oldest Elephant Siam Dies in Captivity

Siam, the oldest Asian elephant that was kept in captivity at the Australian Zoo, was found dead Tuesday morning due to a sudden kidney failure.

Zoo staff and volunteers at the Sunshine Coast zoo mourn the death of their biggest of charges. Siam, who spent the last decade at the Australian Zoo in Beerwah, shared the land with other two Asian elephants named Sabu and Bimbo.

"It was not totally unexpected because she is quite an older animal, obviously, but it's pretty hard whenever anyone in your family passes away," said Kelsey Engle, curator of Australia Zoo.

The 58-year-old elephant was brought to the Australian Zoo in 2003 after being a part of a traveling circus. Due to her age, she was constantly monitored by the zoo authorities. But they had never detected any kidney problem.

"As the largest of our three Asian elephants, she was affectionate, cheeky and endearing. She will be sorely missed," the zoo said in a memo to staff and volunteers, according to The Australian.

According to Engle, Siam, who was known as a Big kid, was the favorite animal of the late crocodile hunter Steve Irwin. She will be deeply missed by the zoo staff and authorities.

Compared to the other two Asian elephants, Siam always looked for attention from the zoo keepers.

Asian elephants, which have been domesticated for thousands of years, were listed as an endangered species by IUCN in 1986. They face threat from habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. Asian elephants are smaller than their African counterparts.