National Zoo euthanizes elephant days ahead of the election, inspiring talk of omens because of its namesake

The Biden-Harris administration euthanized a 50-year-old elephant in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Its name was Kamala.

While zookeepers, members of Kamala's herd, and distant animal lovers mourned the creature's death, some commentators suggested online that Kamala's demise — so soon after the New York Department of Environmental Conservation's slaying of Peanut the squirrel and on the eve of the election — might constitute some sort of omen.

The National Zoo, one of the many federally owned Smithsonian Institution facilities in the D.C. area, announced Saturday that after helping manage Kamala's osteoarthritis for 10 years, the creature's keepers elected to "humanely" dispose of her.

According to the zoo, Kamala — not an African elephant but rather an endangered Asian elephant from Sri Lanka that was orphaned as a calf then raised by humans — found it increasingly difficult over the past several weeks to move, suffering limited motion in her wrists, hips, and shoulders. The elephant's degenerative disease affected her joint cartilage and the underlying bone, leaving her stiff and in constant pain.

'The elephant grew up in a middle class family.'

Hoping the flat terrain might help, the zoo let Kamala and her herd mates parade around the Elephant Community Center and neighboring outdoor habitat. Unfortunately, this change of scenery didn't help as the old elephant "increasingly chose to stand in one spot rather than move about."

The zoo also indicated that Kamala's pain medications were no longer a match for her osteoarthritis.

On account of her limited mobility and increasing discomfort, Kamala's keepers euthanized her in the Elephant Barn.

"The elephant care team fondly remembers Kamala as a smart and inquisitive individual who held a dominant role within the herd," the zoo said in a release. "She built strong bonds with her keepers and enjoyed their attention. Whenever keepers approached, she would rumble and squeak, behaviors that indicated her happiness and excitement."

Kamala was born in Sri Lanka in the mid-1970s, moved to Canada for a period during which she birthed two offspring, then was transferred with her daughter to the National Zoo in 2014.

Owing to the late elephant's namesake in the United States Naval Observatory, superstitious commentators online suggested Kamala's death had greater meaning while others made jokes at the vice president's expense.

Rob Eno, Blaze Media's director of content marketing, tweeted, "The die has been cast. The omens have been read."

Social media influencer Douglass Mackey, the man sentenced to prison last year for Hillary Clinton memes, wrote, "Ominous."

Since the elephant has long been a symbol for the Republican Party, it's unsure precisely what such an omen might portend regarding the election.

"The elephant grew up in a middle class family," wrote one X user.

"Only 50% of the country loved this elephant," quipped another user.

"Her name is Kamala, she lives in DC, is of Indian descent (but is often mistaken as African), has never worked at McDonald's, is claimed to be beloved by many (but is frankly not doing well) and is saying goodbye to supporters this week after a losing battle. She is an elephant," wrote X user Jolly Brandon.

The British political commentator Carl Benjamin, also known as Sargon of Akkad, noted that as news of Kamala's euthanization was spreading, there was also a trending video showing a baby hippopotamus "choos[ing] the Trump cake."

The video, reshared by the New York Post Monday, shows baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng of Thailand presented with a choice of two cakes, then eating the option emblazoned with President Donald Trump's name.

Jimmy von Thron, producer for BlazeTV's "Prime Time with Alex Stein," joked that his confidence was significantly shored up by the hippo's selection, writing, "Just put my mortgage on Trump."

Former NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch said of the hippo's prediction, "More accurate than most."

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