Mo Mo the elephant just turned 62 years old, which is quite a feat for an elephant raised in captivity. While many of those in the wild tend to live to a ripe old age, zoo-raised elephants’ lives tend to be much shorter.
To celebrate Momo’s unexpectedly long life, the Yangon Zoological Gardens dressed her up in a sparkly outfit, gave her a feast of bananas, and released 62 birds. It was a big spectacle, and probably made the zoo a lot of money, but I doubt it was how Mo Mo would have chosen to spend her birthday.
Mo Mo has spent the last 55 years of her life in captivity, performing with the other elephants for zoo visitors. Her special trick is playing the harmonica and shaking her hips to the beat. If this weren’t sad enough, all of the other elephants – Aung Toe, Ma Toe, Moe Meit, and Ma Yang Kot – who performed with her over the years have passed away.
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