Is Lucy An Old Elephant?

Lucy is now in her mid-40s, an age that is considered old for elephants held captive in zoos. In fact, most captive elephants in zoos die either before or during early middle age. So, even though Lucy isn't elderly compared to her counterparts in the wild, she is old by zoo standards. And because of her captivity, she also suffers from a range of age-related ailments. 

The oldest documented Asian elephant lived to be 86 years old. And another elephant who lived at the Panna Tiger Reserve in India is thought to have reached her mid-90s. African elephants usually don't live quite as long as Asian elephants, but there are individuals who have lived more than 60 years and some beyond 70 years. There are even females in their mid to late 50s who have had calves.

Not very many elephants in Canadian zoos have lived beyond their early 40s, so already Lucy is a bit of an outlier. If the history of elephants in zoos is an indicator, then Lucy might not have a lot of time left.