Elephant’s death a double loss

Of the three elephants at Zoo Atlanta, Dottie was the one most willing to work with the public.

With her 8,000 pounds of warmth, Dottie had a gentleness that made her the one who always made a good first impression, said Dennis Kelly, the Grant Park attraction’s chief executive officer and president.

“Dottie to me was the friendliest and the most willing to please,” said Kelly.

After a spring and summer of animals giving life —- from lions to ruffed lemurs to a panda cub —- the zoo lost 26-year-old Dottie and her unborn calf overnight Monday when the popular African elephant died. The cause of death is unknown.

“Our hearts go out to them at this time,” said Steve Feldman, a spokesman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Zoo Atlanta brought on a grief counselor to help staff members deal with the death, Kelly said. The zoo is in the planning stages of allowing Dottie’s fans to leave messages of condolence.

Dottie was in the third trimester of her 22-month pregnancy. Zoo officials think she would have given birth April 1. “We think it would have been the first elephant calf born in Atlanta,” Kelly said.