California IN BRIEF : SAN DIEGO : Elephant Dies at Wild Animal Park

A female African elephant housed at the San Diego Wild Animal Park died after showing signs of a possible stomach ailment, park officials said. Shapi, a 22-year-old elephant weighing four tons, was pronounced dead by park officials at 9:40 a.m., said Jeff Jouett, a spokesman for the Zoological Society of San Diego, which operates the Wild Animal Park and the San Diego Zoo. Shapi had been scheduled to be examined by veterinarians at 10 a.m. but died before the examination could occur, he said. Although results from tests on the carcass were not available, Jouett theorized that the elephant had suffered from a twisted intestine, a condition that often is inoperable. She had been housed in San Diego for more than 20 years.