More Sad Baby Animal News: Only a Fortnight after Knut’s Death, the Berlin Zoo Loses a Young Elephant

  • Share
  • Read Later
As far as we know the baby elephant shown is still alive. Berlin Zoo's baby elephant didn't fare so well

Getty Images / Carsten Koall

We hope this isn’t becoming a (super sad) pattern. 

Early Tuesday morning, six-year-old Indian elephant Shaina Pali died at the Berlin Zoo. Coming just weeks after the highly publicized death of beloved polar bear Knut, this second death raises the question–why the tragic fate for Berlin’s babies?

(More on TIME.com: “Did Negligence Kill Knut the Polar Bear?”)

According to the AP, elephants can live for up to 80 years in captivity. But Shaina Pali fell victim to what the zoo’s vet believes was an infection; although they plan to perform a necropsy to be sure. “It’s simply very sad,” says a zoo spokesperson who maintains that the two deaths are completely unrelated.

(More on TIME.com: See pictures of Knut)