Packy the Elephant "Zoothanized" at 54

Today the most iconic animal in the Oregon Zoo, Packy the elephant, was euthanized at age fifty-four.

The last period of Packy’s life was marked by controversies, many of them related to the larger movement to end animal captivity in zoos and circuses.

Today’s euthanasia was based on a diagnosis of tuberculosis, though the need for such drastic action was questioned by Packy’s handlers and animal rights groups to the very end, some of whom characterized it as "zoothanasia," motivated more by PR than medical concerns.

For more on this perspective, KBOO reporter Sam Bouman spoke with Courtney Scott from the group Free the Oregon Zoo Elephants.