Read the Zoo's press release here

Although the Zoo has not released the actual necropsy report, it was reported that the necropsy revealed Petal was suffering from undiagnosed chronic heart disease and arthritis.

For years, the Philadelphia Zoo had insisted that Petal did not have arthritis.  For example, head veterinarian Keith Hinshaw claimed in this article that the elephants "showed no sign of arthritis."   However, the zoo is now admitting that Petal had arthritis in her hips, elbows and knees so severe that it prevented her from getting up after she collapsed in the cement barn in the early morning hours of June 9, 2008 (see article here). 

How can an elephant "show no signs of arthritis" one day and die from it the next?  Ask the Philly Zoo - 215-243-5202. 

The Philadelphia Zoo further misleads the public by claiming that Petal's arthritis was "age-related."   Wild elephants do not suffer from arthritis  (for sources, click here and here).