MIAMI (AP) — Officials at a South Florida zoo say an African elephant died shortly after a confrontation with another elephant.
Zoo Miami posted on Facebook that the 50-year-old female, Cita, died Friday evening.
Officials say Cita was suffering from a variety of age-related issues that contributed to her inability to stand after being knocked down by the other elephant and eventually led to her death from a suspected thrown blood clot.
Experts say elephants are social animals with strict hierarchies. Confrontations to reinforce an individual's status are not uncommon.
Cita and another female arrived at Zoo Miami in April 2016 from the Virginia Zoo.
