Only Known Elephant With Breast Cancer Euthanized At El Paso Zoo

EL PASO, TX — Scientists learned a lot from the Asian elephant Juno, the only known member of her species to be diagnosed with breast cancer and one of only a handful ever diagnosed with any form of the disease. The El Paso Zoo said Friday the 53-year-old pachyderm was euthanized after a four-year battle with cancer, the only humane option available to spare her further suffering.

She had a “larger-than-elephant attitude and personality and always let you know exactly how and what she was feeling,” Joe Montisano, the director of the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens, said in a news release.

In October 2016, she let zoo officials know she wasn’t feeling well.

After the elephant’s breast cancer diagnosis, she underwent a series of chemotherapy treatments, three of them involving gene therapy to help her immune system recognize and fight the tumor.

The treatments decreased the size of the tumor and held the disease at bay until November. She underwent a risky surgery to remove the malignant tumor in her right mammary gland, but the zoo said the cancer had become more aggressive and was growing at an alarming rate.

This week, Juno stopped eating and drinking water. The pain medication she was on was no longer effective, and her veterinary and care staff determined the best thing for Juno was to euthanize her and end her suffering. She was euthanized in the presence of her animal keepers who the zoo said loved her.

“From her team,” the zoo said in a Facebook post, “they hope you know that Juno’s strength and bravery were only matched by the tremendous love we all have for her. They never stopped believing and fighting for her, and their love will persist beyond this loss.”

Montisano said in the news release that he’s worked around Asian elephants for many years, “but Juno was rare and very special to all of our staff and the community.”

“My hat is off and sympathy extended to her animal care team and our veterinary staff who did everything possible to help her battle this horrible disease and make her last years and days with us as comfortable as possible.”

A full necropsy — the equivalent of an autopsy — will be performed.

Juno was one of two Asian elephants living at the zoo, which said it will work with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to explore options for a companion for the elephant
Savannah.