Tusker, a 6,610 kg bull elephant, had been loaned to Basel from the Netherlands in spring 2021.
Zoo Basel
A bull elephant known as Tusker was euthanised on Wednesday at Basel Zoo after a battle with tuberculosis. The elephant had become a social media star.
Veterinarians at Basel Zoo were forced to put the animal to sleep on Wednesday morning because of tuberculosis, officials told reporters.
Tusker, a 6,610 kg bull elephant, had been loaned to Basel from the Netherlands in spring 2021 in the hope that he would provide an offspring to Basel Zoo’s three females.
On Monday the suspicion of severe tuberculosis was confirmed, said veterinarian Fabia Wyss. The elephant had been inactive for a long time, but the disease has not been clearly diagnosed.
Her colleague, Christian Wenker, said tuberculosis is common in elephants in the wild too. She said transmission to humans could be ruled out, but it was uncertain about the three female elephants.
More
More
Animal welfare improves at Swiss zoos
This content was published on
Methods of keeping animals in Swiss zoos continue to improve. But while some are considered exemplary, others need to up their game.
Tusker was set to move to Spain due to his reputation as “the best breeding bull elephant in Europe”, said Fabian Schmid of Basel Zoo. The elephant had become a Tiktok and YouTube star after visitors filmed him balancing tree trunks and the clips went viral last year.
Schmid described the bull elephant as an extraordinary animal: “a very big elephant personality” that all zoo employees had grown fond of.
Tusker was born in South Africa in 1992 and arrived at Wuppertal Zoo in Germany in 1995, where he became one of the most successful breeding bulls in Europe. There he fathered thirteen offspring with four mothers. In 2019, Tusker moved to Ouwehands Dierenpark Rhenen in the Netherlands and then on to Basel Zoo in April 2021.
More
More
Zurich Zoo: Baby elephant died from underdeveloped organs
This content was published on
Zurich Zoo has published the first results of an autopsy on a male elephant which died soon after birth at the weekend.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Rhine could warm by up to 4°C by 2100, scientists warn
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
This content was published on
The cantonal police of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland have arrested and convicted five cocaine dealers in Chur within a week.
This content was published on
The Swiss business umbrella organisation Economiesuisse and the employers' association broadly support the package of agreements negotiated with the European Union.
This content was published on
A male elephant has died shortly after birth at Zurich Zoo – the third young animal to do so at the institution in recent years.
This content was published on
Methods of keeping animals in Swiss zoos continue to improve. But while some are considered exemplary, others need to up their game.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.