'Mali' in pink of health

Sri Lankan elephant 'Mali', now in Philippines appears to be in the pink of health-if a bit on the stout side-but it's too early to tell if the most famous resident of the Manila Zoo should stay or go, a visiting Thai elephant expert said. Amid the clamour from animal rights activists to ship her to a sanctuary in Thailand, Mali actually looks well cared for in her enclosure at the zoo, said Dr. Nikorn Thongtip of Kasetsart University's Department of Large Animal and Wildlife Clinical Sciences. "She looked healthy in every system. The colour of the mouth is pink. It's a good colour.

It means an elephant is healthy. And her skin is healthy, no wounds. Just a little bit around the bone here, and that is good," Thongtip told a briefing at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City.

But Thongtip had a suggestion for the 38-year-old seven-ton giant: She needs to slim down. "Just a little bit of obesity. [She's] too fat," he said.

The scientist added that contrary to some reports, Mali's nails "do not look bad, compared to elephants of the same age."

Mali was brought to the Philippines from Sri Lanka in 1977 as a gift to then First Lady Imelda Marcos. She was three years then and has spent 35 years at the Manila Zoo. Courtesy: Philippine Daily Inquirer