At Barcelona Zoo, taking care of animals doesn’t stop when they get old—it changes. In a quiet part of the zoo, a 40-year-old elephant named Bully lifts her foot, and a keeper gently scrubs it. This daily "pedicure" comes with apple slices and calm conversation. This is part of a growing movement in zoos to give special care to older animals who can no longer live in the wild.
Why Can't They Return to the Wild?
“Sending them back to the wild wouldn’t be safe,” says Pilar Padilla, the head of mammal care at the zoo. “They likely wouldn’t survive.”
Today, many animals live longer lives in zoos, thanks to better care and science. But longer lives mean they need extra attention, like softer food, treatment for sore joints, special enclosures, and regular checkups. Barcelona Zoo is one of the places leading the way in caring for older animals.
Caring for Older Animals
Zoos have changed a lot in recent years. They no longer just show animals for entertainment. Now, they focus on protecting animals, teaching visitors, and improving care for animals throughout their whole life—including when they get older. Zoos like Barcelona are giving senior animals better care.
As animals live longer in zoos, they need more help in their older years. For elephants like Bully and Susi, that means special diets, support for their joints, and daily checkups.
“Just like older humans, older animals need more support,” says Martín Zordan, head of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “Geriatric care is very important now.”
A Good Place for Old Elephants
The zoo has made a new, natural space for the elephants called the Sahel-Savannah enclosure. It has soft sand for the elephants to walk on and space to roam, just like their home in the wild.
But it’s not just elephants getting special care. The zoo also cares for other older animals, like a 15-year-old wolf, a 17-year-old leopard and tiger, and some older flamingos. Other zoos in the U.S. are also working to take better care of their older animals.
Dealing with Loss
Recently, Bully and Susi faced a sad loss. Their friend Yoyo, who had been with them for many years, passed away at the age of 54. Now, Susi, at 52, is one of the oldest African elephants alive. Bully is 40 and also considered old.
All three elephants were once taken from the wild and worked in circuses before coming to the zoo. After Yoyo’s death, Susi and Bully showed signs of sadness. They stopped eating and looked confused. But over time, they leaned on each other for comfort. Susi has become the more dominant elephant of the two.
The University of Barcelona is studying how elephants, who are not related, cope with the loss of a close friend. This is the first study to look at this.
Aging with Dignity
A big part of caring for elephants as they get older is understanding how their bodies change. One way to tell how old an elephant is is by looking at their teeth. Elephants grow six sets of molars in their lifetime, but by age 40, they lose their last set. This means they need special food to help them chew.
“What really shows that an elephant is getting older is the loss of their teeth,” says zookeeper José María Santamaría.
With soft food, soft floors, and daily care for their joints and feet, Susi and Bully are living their later years comfortably. This isn’t just about taking care of them—it’s about showing love and respect.
“We do all this because we want them to age with dignity,” says Zordan.
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