Zoo Knoxville mourns death of Elephant “Tonka”

Zoo Knoxville is mourning the death of Tonka, a 46-year-old, 15,000-pound African elephant. Tonka was humanely euthanized on Wednesday, the zoo announced. The zoo had said Tonka was placed in hospice care earlier this week when it was determined that there were no further options to treat acute pain and swelling in his left front leg. Tonka was one of the largest and oldest African elephants in North America. During his 43 years at Zoo Knoxville, he was an iconic ambassador and known for his easy-going nature and intelligence.