A GENTLE GIANT Endangered African Elephant Forgotten. This girl was reduced to just a death notices. She was 47 years old and had lived at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo for 44 years. I found only death notices on the internet. No history for all these years of service.

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MSNBC.com writes: @
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39702065/ns/local_news-omaha_ne/
Maliaka Was 2nd-Oldest In Captivity In North America The Omaha Channel.com
updated 10/18/2010 8:15:05 AM ET 2010-10-18T12:15:05 OMAHA, Neb. -- KETV.com

A 47-year-old African elephant that spent most of her life at the Omaha zoo has died.
Officials with the Henry Doorly Zoo say the cause of Maliaka's death Saturday is unknown. A necropsy has been ordered. Zoo officials say staff found Maliaka on her side Saturday morning and couldn't get her back on her feet. She died a few hours later.
Maliaka came to the zoo in 1966 -- when she was 3 -- and was its oldest living resident. Zoo officials says she's the second-oldest living elephant in captivity at accredited North American zoos.
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WOWT.com report
http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Zoos_Oldest_Resident_Dies_105105049.html
Zoo's Oldest Resident Dies
A 47-year-old African elephant that spent most of her life at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo died Saturday.Officials say the cause of Maliaka's death is unknown. A necropsy has been ordered. Staff found Maliaka on her side Saturday morning and couldn't get her back on her feet. She died a few hours later.
"Tried to get her back up and she was weak and unable to get up," said the zoo's Dan Cassidy. "We worked on her for about two-and-a-half hours before she finally passed away."Maliaka came to the zoo in 1966 when she was 3 and was its oldest resident as well as the second-oldest living elephant in captivity at accredited North American zoos.African elephants usually live to the age of 70 in the wild.
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This is from Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo site describing the Pachyderm Hill

http://www.omahazoo.com/index.php?p=animalsexhibits&s=pachydermhill

African Elephant

The African Elephant is the largest land mammal. It is muddy gray or dark brown in color with sparse bristly hairs. The tallest point on the elephant is its back, not the head. Skin is thick, in some areas it is one to six inches thick; however the skin on the ear is extremely thin. An elephant's hearing and smell are good, but eyesight is poor.
The trunk is specialized with an elongated nose and upper lip, extending eight feet in length. It is very sensitive, with 40,000 nerve endings and muscles and can hold three gallons of water. The tip of the trunk has two finger-like projections. The trunk is covered with ridges and grooves. The lower lip is long and shovel-shaped for catching food pushed in by trunk.
Both male and female elephants have tusks, one-third of which is embedded under their skin. The tusks are ivory, reaching up to 10 feet in length and weighing up to 200 pounds each. Omaha's Zoo may cap the elephants' tusks to prevent from cracking and hurting their mouth.
An elephant foot is made of a great pad of elastic tissues with the bones cushioned within the skin. An elephant actually walks on the tips of its toes. Keepers at Omaha's Zoo trim the elephant's toenails for comfort.
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If you happen to read this thus far, there are so few pictures Maliaka who had lived there since 1966. NEED I SAY MORE?
Maliaka, we here at Rainbow Bridge will NOT forget you. Thank you for your many years of service.
Thank you for the hundreds of people who were able to see you and learn about you. Thank you for the money collected at the gates- so people could see a real Elephant in person. I am just sorry I find NO words of sympathy from those who's care you were under.

THANK YOU MALIAKA, Thank you from all the residents of Rainbow Bridge. Now you are free to sleep late and do just as you please.

FYI *********
Elephants do not eat peanuts. They prefer watermelons and pumpkins. They also eat fruits, vegetables. It is also prove that they ARE afraid of mice. Like other grazing animals, elephants eat hay which is dried grass. If you want to leave a gift, a pumpkin, a banana or hay would be good. :-) So you see, if I am a caretaker, I have lots more to learn...

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I will try and find out more about Maliaka . (to follow)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.omahazoo.com/pages/pressroom/pressreleases /African%20Elephant%20Press%20Release.pdf
press release=
Maliaka was born April 1 , 1963
She came to the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo August 15, 1966 - where she lived for 44 years. She was the oldest resident of the zoo. She was the second oldest African elephant in 48 North American Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited institutions. There are currently 155 African Elephants
living in these institutions.
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Published Tuesday October 19, 2010
By Kevin Cole World- Herald Staff writer Metro region
http://www.omaha.com/article/20101019/NEWS01/710199891/31
kevin.cole@owh.com
Shenga the elephant is in mourning.
She misses Maliaka, her longtime elephant buddy at the Henry Doorly Zoo, who died Saturday.
Maliaka, who was 47, and Shenga, who is 28, were the zoo's only elephants. The two, both African elephants, shared a one-acre compound called Pachyderm Hill.
"Shenga has been looking over in the other pen for Maliaka," said Dan Cassidy, the zoo's general curator. "She definitely knows something is wrong."
Staff members found Maliaka, who came to the zoo in 1966 at age 3, on her side Saturday morning. They failed to get Maliaka on her feet, and she died a few hours later.
She had been the zoo's oldest resident.
A necropsy found no major health problems, and tissue samples have been sent to a pathology lab for examination, Cassidy said. Maliaka, who was the second-oldest elephant in captivity in North America, will be buried on zoo grounds.
"She was in old age as far as African elephants go," Cassidy said. "It's not unusual for elephants in their late 40s or early 50s to develop an illness and die."
Friday was a normal day for Maliaka, Cassidy said. Her keepers reported that she ate her normal amount of food -- 50 pounds of straw, 30 pounds of grain and 25 pounds of hay -- and exhibited no signs of illness. Saturday, zoo personnel worked feverishly to save Maliaka.
Cassidy said the staff tried to lift Maliaka to her feet, using large slings attached to a mechanical hoist. But Maliaka lacked the strength to stand.
"We worked pretty hard for a couple of hours," Cassidy said. "Some of us have known that animal for a lot of years. I worked with her a lot when I first came here in 1973."
The friendship between Maliaka and Shenga sometimes was one-sided, Cassidy said. Maliaka, who was noted for having gold tips on her tusks, often sought time alone.
"Shenga liked Maliaka more than Maliaka liked Shenga," Cassidy said. "We put in a gate in their compound so Maliaka could get away when she wanted."
In their barn, the elephants enjoyed separate stalls, but they could reach through the bars and lay their trunks on one another's heads in a sign of affection.
Elephants are social animals that do well in groups. The zoo's master plan calls for an expanded elephant exhibit in the next few years. Cassidy said eight to 12 elephants could make their home in a new compound, but no timetable has been set.
Zoo Director Dennis Pate is currently on a tour of European zoos to get ideas for a new elephant complex.
"European zoos tend to be a little ahead of U.S. zoos on the latest architectural developments," Cassidy said. "Elephants are a major attraction, and we want to incorporate the very best ideas for our exhibit."
It's possible that the zoo will obtain an elephant to keep Shenga company. Shenga also could be lent to another zoo with a large number of elephants.
"Elephants are very intelligent, and they show a lot of personality," Cassidy said. "That's what endears them to their keepers and the public. We want Shenga to be happy."
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MY THOUGHTS
I guess this means there are now only 149. What is the answer? Is is proper to keep these creatures captive to be able to teach children of the wonders of the world and Wildlife? How else could the general public ever see an Elephant? I am not wise enough to answer this question. Those who live in Africa continue to be killed for their Ivory Tusks. Like many of Gods creatures, one day they will be gone, but rest assured, for those of us who LOVE GODS CREATURES, we will meet them all one day when we too cross the Rainbow Bridge. For this I will be GRATEFUL. RUN FREE MAILAKA and enjoy each new day. I know there are Elephant babies there beyond the bridge who need you. Your job has just begun.
Let me say, I never met this wonderful Elephant. I have not been to the Zoo where she spent 44 years. I only learned of her through her death on the internet. So why did I make a site for her?
I just want her to know there are lots of people who will miss her and to know each creature is special in their own way. We all bring to the world our own contributions. Maliaka's contribution
was her years of service in teaching us all about Gods Family. Again THANK YOU MALIAKA and your passing did not go unnoticed.

Picture credits:
Left The picture of Maliaka was taken by KETV. (7 KETV Omaha)
Middle posted by By Kevin Cole World- Herald Staff writer Metro region
Middle Right posted by By Kevin Cole World- Herald Staff writer Metro region
Right posted by WOWT Posted: 2:50 PM Nov 3, 2008 Reporter: Jeff Sabin
Far Right - Beyond the Bridge

"Elephant mourns lost pen buddy: Maliaka, who was 47, and Shenga, who is 28, were the zoo's only elephants"

MALIAKA- an African Bush elephant, was born WILD 4-1-1963. She was captured in 1964. Maliaka was sent to the Omaha Zoo through the International Animal Exchange (Ferndale)in 1965.

SHENGA -Her friend - is also an African Bush elephant. She was born WILD in 1982 in Zimbabwe.
She arrived at the Hollywild Animal Park , FL in 1986. She was then relocated to The Omaha
Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska in 2001.

http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-4963-Shenga_the_Elephant_Traveled_Through_the_Snowbelt_and_Arrive_Safely_at_the_Cleveland_Zoo

Shenga makes YOU TUBE :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpfTioA2qKw

I wish I could find out more about Maliaka, but one day she can tell me. I hope she did not die from a broken heart. Elephants never forget and perhaps she was ready to return to her Long Lost Real Elephant Family.

If you have time - please visit my Sister @
http://belovedhearts.com/residents/KEMPA003/Resident.htm

Christmas 2010 ...........................................GOD BLESS THE ANIMALS........
May you have a very special Christmas.
LOVE, From Mum and all my Animals here and beyond the bridge.

Dear Maliaka,
On 19 March 2011 (Tiergarten Zoo in Berlin) Knut ( A young Polar Bear) collapsed and died in his enclosure at the age of four years and three months. Witnesses reported that after the bear's left leg began shaking, he walked around in circles before falling into the water.The cause of death has yet to be determined.
Knut was born at the Berlin Zoo to 20-year-old Tosca, a former circus performer from East Germany, born in Canada, and her 13-year-old mate Lars, who was originally from the Tierpark Hellabrunn in Munich. After an uncomplicated gestation, Knut and his unnamed brother were born on 5 December 2006. Tosca rejected the cubs for unknown reasons, abandoning them on a rock in the polar bear enclosure. Zoo keepers rescued the cubs, but Knut's brother died of an infection four days later. Knut was the first polar bear to have been born and survive in the Berlin Zoo in over 30 years. Only the size of a guinea pig, he spent the first 44 days of his life in an incubator before zoo keeper Thomas Dörflein began raising the cub.
Animal rights activists said that Knut should have been killed rather than humiliated by being raised "as a domestic pet". He declared that the zoo was violating animal protection legislation by keeping him alive. He would sway to and fro and even imitate people taking photos by lifting a paw to his face. Hopes that Knut might form a romantic attachment with one of the females were dashed as stories emerged of violent mauling. Thomas Doerflein, his keeper, died at 44 of a heart attack in 2008.
"Knut's short and distressful life shows us again that polar bears do not belong in zoos, even if they are called Knut," said Wolfgang Apel, head of the German animal protection association.
I am so sorry Knut's life ended as it did. We humans tried to do the right thing by saving him as a baby- but in the long run- was it the best thing. Only God knows the answer to this question. Was it our love for him the thing that killed him?
Maliaka, I intrust Knut to your care. Please take care of him and let him know they did try. Both of you are endangered and both of you spent your life in a Zoo. I am sorry the world lost both of you, but now you are both free to roam the vast universe in an Place Called Rainbow Bridge. Maliaka , please invite Knut into our extended family of those who have gone home before us.
Most Sincerely, Gloria
PS...Please, also help Knut find Sarah the bear who arrived 9-7-2010. She can teach Knut the art of being a bear. Thank you my family. I have added a picture of Knut and his keeper from birth, until Thomas died in 2008. Now Thomas Doerflein and Knut will be forever together.

April 4th, 2011
Dear Maliaka,
I just thought I would let you know that Shenga was very sad after you left. I understand you did not really like him much, but he missed you after you left. He was moved to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Ohio.
In early March a man who is the CEO of a big internet company thought it would be a nice thing to kill an elephant. There was a group of wild elephants raiding a local crop field in Zimbabwe. Instead of showing the villagers how to grow other crops- or how to keep the Elephants out, or donate food, he killed the bull. I have removed the killers face from the picture, but this is a picture of the unfortunate NO NAME Elephant who gave his life so the killer could be praised for feeding a village. RIP Sir Elephant. There are many who are outraged at this event as there are so few Elephants left in this world. Many people are outraged and of course there are those who won't notice. Our family here Beyond the bridge DO care and WE WILL NOT FORGET YOU. May the rest of your family be safe. RIP

October 14th, 2011
Dear Maliaka,
Sunday is going to be a very special day. It is your first Anniversery at the Rainbow Bridge. It is Also Jakes 6th Anniversery.
There will be a grand dinner for you and Jake. All of the family is invited. All the family and many friends will attend. I am so glad to know you are in such a wonderful place where you are truely appreciated. Enjoy YOUR day. I am sending you a large bail of hay, so after dinner, you can have a good rest. Take care and know you will never be forgotten. oxoxox Gloria

Please also visit Barney Bush, Cinder Childers, Cricket Childers, Jake Childers, Jenny Ryan, Mama Cat Childers, Tatiana, Vumilia and Yesterdays' Kittens.