Shani (Kate, Katie, Kati)
African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) at
Erie Zoo ( Glenwood Park Zoo ) in United States

Biography

☨ ♀ Shani (Kate, Katie, Kati)
Shani (aka by her keepers as Kate / Katie), the elephant with her trainer Allen Campbell and her handlers: Bernie Gainey, Mark Srnka and Kris Hopkins. Photo © Cindy Kreider

Identification

SSP nr	183

Description
Species:	African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Sex and age:	Female ♀ 15 years old
Origin
Born:	* 1979 wild
Birth place:
Capture:	1981
Death
Dead:	†1994-07-13
Death reason:	euthanised: Gastrointestinal problems
Locations - owners
Present / last location:	Erie Zoo ( Glenwood Park Zoo ), in United States

Date of arrival

1982-02-03	Erie Zoo ( Glenwood Park Zoo ) from Baton Rouge Zoo

Record history
History of updates	2009-12-19: New elephant RE 2010-08-29: year and reason of death, picture 2011-02-07: date of death 2011-02-09: Previous locations, Birth, Death, SSP RE

Latest document update	2020-10-18 06:25:24

† Shani (Kate, Katie, Kati) is a dead Female ♀ African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana), , who died 1994-07-13 at Erie Zoo ( Glenwood Park Zoo ), in United States, . Official death reason described as Gastrointestinal problems.

Origin

Shani (Kate, Katie, Kati) was born wild 1979, captured 1981 .

Comments / pictures

"I worked there when Shani the African elephant died. The Erie Zoo staff and the city itself grieved like a family. Her GI tract just shut down over the period of a week and Necropsy was inconclusive. She was either 11 or 12 years old at the time of her death. She was a beautiful elephant and loved very much" //Kris Hopkins, State College

Shani only resided at the Baton Rouge Zoo for a day before her transfer to the Erie Zoo in Michigan.

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2025). Shani (Kate, Katie, Kati), African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) located at Erie Zoo ( Glenwood Park Zoo ) in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 24 May 2025 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=5548. (archived at the Wayback machine)