'I stayed with her': Milwaukee County Zoo caretaker mourns loss of Ruth the elephant
MILWAUKEE (CBS58) — It's been a tough weekend for staff at the Milwaukee County Zoo. They are mourning the loss of Ruth, a 43-year-old savanna elephant.
Ruth called the Milwaukee County Zoo home for nearly 20 years, one of her main caretakers say she was one of a kind.
"I was actually the one that walked in to find her down on Saturday morning. I knew that I needed to go assess her cause it was early not a lot of people were here yet, so I started calling for help," said Erin Dowgwillo, elephant care coordinator at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
On Saturday morning, Sept 20, Ruth fell for the second time this month but this time she couldn't get up.
"As soon as there were enough people I went and sat with her while we waited and decided what we were going to do, I stayed with her," said Dowgwillo.
The zoo's veterinary staff made the decision to euthanize her.
"There's a big hole in all of our hearts that took care of her," said Dowgwillo.
Elephant Care Coordinator, Erin Dowgwillo, says the elephants are more like co-workers or family than animals.
Ruth, Erin Dowgwillo
"I've been here at three in the morning or getting phone calls to assess these girls, so I feel like that's the family aspect. You get a call, and you drop everything you're doing to take care of them," said Dowgwillo.
Through Dowgwillo's 17 years with Ruth, they've had their ups and downs, but she says Ruth was always full of surprises.
"I liked the spiciness and the challenges that the spice of life that she had would give us on any given day," said Dowgwillo.
On Sunday, Sept 21, The University of Wisconsin Madison School of Veterinary Medicine came to the zoo to perform a necropsy.
"Nobody had accidentally pushed her; she hadn't fallen over a log based off where she was so we aren't sure why she couldn't get up that day," said Dowgwillo.
The zoo's executive director says they will have the details of the necropsy in a few weeks.
Zoo staff say Ruth will be buried in a private space on zoo grounds.
Her tusks were removed and will be in the Zoo Artifact Program.
Ruth, Erin Dowgwillo