World’s ‘Loneliest Elephant’ Dies After Decades In Concrete Enclosure

Rest in peace, Hanako.

05/27/2016 12:59 pm ET

Hilary Hanson
Viral News Editor, The Huffington Pos

The oldest elephant in Japan, dubbed the world’s “loneliest elephant“ by animal welfare activists, died Thursday at the age of 69.

Hanako the elephant lived at Tokyo’s Inokashira Park Zoo for 62 years, according to The Japan Times. Thailand initially gave her as a gift to Japan in 1949, and she lived at Ueno Zoo five years before being transferred to Inokashira in 1954.

But it wasn’t until last year that Hanako came to international attention, after Canadian animal advocate Ulara Nakagawa visited the zoo and wrote a blog post for Medium titled “Hanako the Elephant: 61 Years (and Counting) Alone in a Concrete Prison.”

Nakagawa accused the zoo of keeping Hanako isolated with no mental stimulation or enrichment.

“Totally alone in a small, barren, cement enclosure with absolutely NO comfort or stimulation provided, she just stood there almost lifeless  —  like a figurine,” she wrote. “There was absolutely nothing else for her to do. It was beyond painful to take in.”

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