The State - News from Aug. 29, 1988

Lucki, the matriarch of the elephant herd and one of the more popular animals at the San Diego Zoo, was destroyed because her health had deteriorated to where she could no longer stand, zoo spokesman Jeff Jouett said. The 51-year-old Asian elephant had been at the zoo since 1941 and was seen by 102 million zoo visitors, Jouett said. Lucki stood 9 feet at the shoulder and weighed five tons. About 10 years ago, Lucki started suffering from chronic tooth and foot ailments, Jouett said. In 1981, she became the first captive elephant to have a tooth pulled and keepers have regularly trimmed her foot pads in efforts to lessen her problems.