Columbus Zoo mourns loss of its father elephant

COLUMBUS (AP) — An Ohio zoo has lost its pachyderm patriarch, a male Asian elephant thought to be 40 years old.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium says Coco died Wednesday afternoon, hours after keepers found him lying down and either not able or not willing to get up.

The zoo says its staff had not previously noticed any signs of illness. Results from the animal equivalent of an autopsy may take several weeks.

The Columbus Zoo’s TV host zookeeper Jack Hanna says in a statement that Coco invoked a sense of wonder in everyone who saw him. The elephant stood 10 and a-half feet tall at the shoulder.

Coco was the father of the zoo’s two young male elephants, Beco and Bodhi. The zoo also has two adult females.