DALLAS -- A 6-year-old African elephant, dying of a rare blood deficiency at the Dallas Zoo, was readied for exploratory surgery while an elephant friend kept vigil, zoo officials said.
Veterinarians have failed twice in efforts to give the 1,400-pound animal a 3-gallon blood transfusion and said exploratory surgery is the last resort.
Despite a steadily falling red blood cell count in the past week, Mbili has refused to die and continues to have a voracious appetite for her favorite carrots, cabbage and apples, zoo spokesmanBill Stewart said Wednesday.
Moja, another female elephant, has been keeping a constant vigil on her dying friend.
'They both came here in 1981 from Zimbabwe,' Stewart said. 'Moja is about a year older. We just cannot separate them anymore without getting both of them extremely upset.
'If anything happens to Mbili, we don't know how Moja will react. Moja is very intent on what is happening to her friend. For her sake too, we want Mbili to survive.'