San Antonio Zoo celebrates Lucky the Elephant’s 60th birthday

Lucky, a beloved elephant at the San Antonio Zoo, celebrated her 60th birthday Sunday.

The zoo streamed the birthday bash on Facebook, letting viewers watch as Lucky — and fellow elephants Nicole and Karen — used their trunks to open gift boxes stuffed with food.

“Lucky being 60 years old is a great testament to the care that these girls get,” said animal care specialist Candace Gutierrez.

Gutierrez noted that the average lifespan for an Asian elephant in the wild is 48 years.

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“Their wild counterparts do not live as long because again their teeth wear down, their eyesight changes, even their hearing and their skin is sensitive,” she said.

The elephants dined on a spread of fruits and vegetables, as well as edible decorations held together with peanut butter and frosting instead of glue.

Lucky and Co. made headlines last week for swimming in the San Antonio River, before the zoo revealed the story was an April Fool’s Day joke.

The San Antonio zoo is currently closed amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, fans can still watch live cams of many exhibits on the website.

Mark Dunphy is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | [email protected] | @m_b_dunphy