Disappearance of New York elephant Happy sparks alarming theories

The mysterious disappearance of an elephant named Happy at the Bronx Zoo in New York has sparked uproar as animal activists float concerning theories.

Happy has been one of main attractions at the zoo since arriving in 1977 and is  usually seen by parkgoers riding the monorail through the Wild Asia exhibit. 

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

Zoo spokesperson, Mary Dixon, told DailyMail.com that the elephant has been out in exhibit before the park has opened and made an appearance on Saturday - but one visitor claimed she only Patti. 

Zoo director Jim Breheny previously shared a video of Happy 'out in the exhibit .... taking a dust bath [and] eating' on the morning of September 12 on his X account, but the comments beneath the clip were suspicious of the clip. 

'There's no way to know for sure this was yesterday,' one X user wrote. 'It would have made sense for the NYT journalist to have have seen her [and] taken a photo of Happy.'

Despite the zoo insisting there is nothing wrong with the elephant, her absence from public life has led many to speculate that Happy is, well, not happy. 

'She could be choosing not to go outside because she is depressed and has lost the will to live, and going outside no longer brings her joy. Or she could be in pain,' Nonhuman Rights Project's Courtney Fern told the New York Post.

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Elephants at the zoo have been separated into pairs ever since one was injured in a herd attack in 1977. 

But Happy has been on her own since her last companion died in 2006, The New York Times reported.

Patty, the only other elephant now at Bronx Zoo, continues to spend her day in the open enclosure.

This has raised fears that Happy may be lonely. 

Caitlin O’Connell, an elephant scientist and instructor at Harvard, told The New York Times: 'Elephants require social interaction to thrive, and as migratory animals, they enjoy large spaces over which to forage and graze'.

Fern also insisted that the elephant's behavior is 'not normal' and claimed she is 'most likely not coming out because something is wrong with her mentally or physically.'  

However, the zoo has repeatedly denied that anything is amiss and claimed the elephant is simply choosing to hang out behind the scenes with workers instead of using the public enclosure. 

'Happy has recently opted not to be in the exhibit during the day, but she has gone into the exhibit area in the morning before the zoo opens,' a Zoo spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 

'As we stated previously, Happy is choosing to spend the day near the barn interacting with staff rather than in the exhibit space. 

'She is given access to the exhibit area each day but not choosing to spend her time there. Despite some reports, she is not confined indoors but has access to indoor and outdoor spaces and she chooses where she wants to be.' 

This comes weeks after the zoo was first forced to publish a statement on July 31 statement to address growing concerns surrounding the elephant.

It began by stating that 'nothing is wrong with Happy' and went on to insist the animal is in '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 report showed that the 'zoo was meeting or exceeding USDA standards for care.' 

'Our veterinary and animal care teams have stated Happy appears fine and is doing well,' the spokesperson added. 

But critics are still not satisfied, particularly after learning that a New York Times reporter was denied access to the animal before and after hours. 

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

The barn door remains opens for Happy to leave at any time, Dixon told The Times. 

Despite this Fern's group is not convinced all is well and, in general, believe that elephants should not be held captive, she told The Times. 

The zoo community strongly disagrees with the activists' stance on captivity and point to their extensive conservation work as well as new and improved methods of caring for animals.  

'We have learned how to care for them better, how to meet their needs and how to manage them from a physical standpoint, and from a psychological and a social standpoint,' Dan Ashe, the president and chief executive of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, told The Times. 

The zoo previously had to fight to keep their prized Happy after Fern's organization challenged the elephant's confinement in the New York Supreme Court in 2020. 

The group tried to claim that Happy was essentially the equivalent of a person with rights of its own, and therefore should not be kept in a cage as it was a violation of habeas corpus.

However, campaigners lost their challenge in 2022, with the court ruling that while 'no one disputes that elephants are intelligent beings deserving of proper care and compassion', they are not the same as humans.