Jayathu was a baby
elephant given to
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
by the president of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
,
J. R. Jayewardene, as a state gift.
Life
Jayathu was an
Asian elephant born sometime in 1983 in Sri Lanka. Local farmers scared away her
herd
A herd is a social group of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with this is called ''herding''. These animals are known as gregarious animals.
The term ''herd'' is ...
and Jayathu fell into a pit but was rescued and taken into an elephant orphanage. She was later sent via airplane to the
National Zoological Park in
Washington D.C
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
.
Jayathu, a name that can be translated to "Victory", was eighteen months old by the time she was gifted by J. R. Jayewardene, president of Sri Lanka, to Ronald Reagan and the American people on a state visit to the US on 12 June 1984. The elephant was the symbol of the parties of both presidents, Jayewardene's
United National Party and Reagan's
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
.
Death
A little bit over two months after being gifted to Ronald Reagan, on 30 August 1984, Jayathu died. Her death was surrounded by disbelief and mystery.
The Sri Lankan ambassador,
Ernest Corea, was shocked by the death of Jayathu, stating that the death amongst
captive elephants in Sri Lanka is extremely low. Ronald Reagan also stated that he was deeply saddened for not being able to see the elephant grow.
The death of Jayathu remained a mystery until it was later discovered that the cause of death of the elephant was
schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody s ...
, a parasitic fluke infection, apparently before even going to the United States.
See also
*
List of individual elephants
References
1983 animal births
1984 animal deaths
Individual elephants
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