Vet staff, firefighters help Cheyenne Mountain Zoo elephant recover from fall

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s 33-year-old African elephant, Malaika, lost her footing Monday morning and had to be rescued by a team of firefighters, zoo staffers, and veterinarians.

Malaika was found on her side during an overnight check. Being down for too long can cause stress to elephants’ internal organs and can be fatal, so staffers worked quickly to get her standing.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department Heavy Rescue team and the Broadmoor Fire Department were called to help, and the teams used a crane-and-hoist system in the barn to help Malaika up to her feet.

She appeared to have gone down overnight due to a leg wobble during a deep sleep. She’s being monitored with checks every two hours.