Mysterious disappearance of New York's famous elephant Happy sparks alarming theories

The mysterious disappearance of an elephant named Happy astatine the Bronx Zoo successful New York has sparked uproar arsenic carnal activists interval concerning theories.

Happy has been 1 of main attractions astatine the zoo since arriving successful 1977 and is  usually seen by parkgoers riding the monorail done the Wild Asia exhibit. 

However, Happy, who is successful her fifties, has allegedly not been seen successful the zoo's outdoor enclosure by visitors since July, leaving galore zoogoers disappointed. 

Zoo spokesperson, Mary Dixon, told DailyMail.com that the elephant has been retired successful grounds earlier the parkland has opened and made an quality connected Saturday - but one visitor claimed she lone Patti. 

Zoo director Jim Breheny antecedently shared a video of Happy 'out successful the grounds .... taking a particulate bath [and] eating' connected the greeting of September 12 connected his X account, but the comments beneath the clip were suspicious of the clip. 

'There's nary mode to cognize for definite this was yesterday,' 1 X idiosyncratic wrote. 'It would person made consciousness for the NYT writer to person have seen her [and] taken a photograph of Happy.'

Despite the zoo insisting determination is thing incorrect with the elephant, her lack from nationalist beingness has led galore to speculate that Happy is, well, not happy. 

'She could beryllium choosing not to spell extracurricular due to the fact that she is depressed and has mislaid the volition to live, and going extracurricular nary longer brings her joy. Or she could beryllium successful pain,' Nonhuman Rights Project's Courtney Fern told the New York Post.

Elephants astatine the zoo person been separated into pairs ever since 1 was injured successful a herd onslaught successful 1977. 

But Happy has been connected her ain since her past companion died successful 2006, The New York Times reported.

Patty, the lone different elephant present astatine Bronx Zoo, continues to walk her time successful the unfastened enclosure.

This has raised fears that Happy whitethorn beryllium lonely. 

Caitlin O’Connell, an elephant idiosyncratic and teacher astatine Harvard, told The New York Times: 'Elephants necessitate societal enactment to thrive, and arsenic migratory animals, they bask ample spaces implicit which to forage and graze'.

Fern besides insisted that the elephant's behaviour is 'not normal' and claimed she is 'most apt not coming retired due to the fact that thing is incorrect with her mentally oregon physically.'  

However, the zoo has repeatedly denied that thing is amiss and claimed the elephant is simply choosing to bent retired down the scenes with workers alternatively of utilizing the nationalist enclosure. 

'Happy has precocious opted not to beryllium successful the grounds during the day, but she has gone into the grounds country successful the greeting earlier the zoo opens,' a Zoo spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 

'As we stated previously, Happy is choosing to walk the time adjacent the barn interacting with unit alternatively than successful the grounds space. 

'She is fixed entree to the grounds country each time but not choosing to walk her clip there. Despite immoderate reports, she is not confined indoors but has entree to indoor and outdoor spaces and she chooses wherever she wants to be.' 

This comes weeks aft the zoo was archetypal forced to people a connection on July 31 statement to code increasing concerns surrounding the elephant.

It began by stating that 'nothing is incorrect with Happy' and went connected to importune the carnal is successful 'good health'.

On August 8, the US Department of Agriculture 'conducted a focused inspection of the Bronx Zoo’s elephants,' a spokesperson told DailyMail.com Thursday. 

The spokesperson said the study showed that the 'zoo was gathering oregon exceeding USDA standards for care.' 

'Our veterinary and carnal attraction teams person stated Happy appears good and is doing well,' the spokesperson added. 

But critics are inactive not satisfied, peculiarly aft learning that a New York Times reporter was denied entree to the carnal earlier and aft hours. 

Dixon told The Times that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service had besides inspected the elephants, their barns, and their enclosures. In addition, the zoo's ain veterinarians had examined Happy and said she 'appears good and to beryllium doing well.' 

The barn doorway remains opens for Happy to permission astatine immoderate time, Dixon told The Times. 

Despite this Fern's radical is not convinced each is good and, successful general, judge that elephants should not beryllium held captive, she told The Times. 

The zoo assemblage powerfully disagrees with the activists' stance connected captivity and constituent to their extended conservation enactment arsenic good arsenic caller and improved methods of caring for animals.  

'We person learned however to attraction for them better, however to conscionable their needs and however to negociate them from a carnal standpoint, and from a intelligence and a societal standpoint,' Dan Ashe, the president and main enforcement of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, told The Times. 

The zoo antecedently had to fight to support their prized Happy after Fern's enactment challenged the elephant's confinement successful the New York Supreme Court successful 2020. 

The radical tried to assertion that Happy was fundamentally the equivalent of a idiosyncratic with rights of its own, and truthful should not beryllium kept successful a cage arsenic it was a usurpation of habeas corpus.

However, campaigners mislaid their situation successful 2022, with the tribunal ruling that portion 'no 1 disputes that elephants are intelligent beings deserving of due attraction and compassion', they are not the aforesaid arsenic humans.