This poor elephant has spent most of her life alone. For the majority of her existence, she did not have a single friend to call her own. Flavia has been residing at a zoo that is located in the south of Spain for the past 43 years. That is certainly a very long time to spend alone. Cordoba Zoo was her home and can you believe that she did not see any more elephants during her stint here?

Elephants tend to be social creatures by nature. That is what makes this story such a shocking one. Female elephants also tend to spend their entire lives alongside of their mothers. Flavia began to experience depression as a result of being kept away from other elephants. Her life was a difficult one and our hearts go out to her for sure.

There were even signs that the elephant was experiencing captive distress. After a great deal of public outcry, the zoo made plans to move the elephant into a sanctuary, so that she could spend time around other pachyderms. Unfortunately, she passed away before she was ever given that chance. Flavia was laid to rest at the beginning of March.

The photos that the zoo has shared in light of her death are touching. It is hard to believe that this old girl was once a young calf. The photo where she is attempting to reach outside of her enclosure with her trunk just might be the saddest of all, though. It functions as a very powerful metaphor for her relationship with the rest of the world.

This story may be disheartening to some but it can be used as a teachable moment. Hopefully, the proper level of awareness can be raised when it comes to the elephants that are forced to live in captivity. These stories need to become a thing of the past, once and for all. Let’s all do our part to help out by taking the time to share this story.

We want to live in a world where all of the elephants are able to spend their lives with the animals that they love most. No animal should ever be ripped away from their natural habitat like this. Let’s take the time to make sure that this story comes with a much happier ending than expected. It is time to make sure that Flavia did not die in vain.

Image Source: Facebook/ZooCordoba

h/t: The Dodo