About Kashin

About Kashin

Kashin (1968 – 2009)
Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

Female Asian elephant Kashin came from North-East Thailand. Kashin was captive born in November 1968, and came to Auckland Zoo in 1972 aged four. She was a much-loved Auckland Zoo icon.

Kashin was the older of our two Asian elephants who helped to raise awareness of the plight of their species in the wild. Auckland Zoo's other elephant Burma, now 26 years old, was born in Burma (Myanmar) in 1982, and came to Auckland Zoo in 1990.

• Kashin was born in late 1968 (birthday celebrated in November)
• She arrived at Auckland Zoo in December 1972 on a jumbo jet aged four years 
• Her name came from an ASB naming competition ("cash-in") and she is the elephant on the ASB moneyboxes that have been in circulation since 1964
• Kashin weighed approximately 3.4 tonne (3,400kgs) 
• Kashin was the matriarch, a gentle giant and very people-orientated. She was particularly fond of males! She loved praise and attention, and could become very vocal when excited – with chirps, squeaks, rumbles and roars
• Kashin's favourite thing was food and would do almost anything for food. She thrived on lots of attention and praise from her keepers. A real water-baby, she also loved swimming, and her daily-scrub downs
• She was not such a big fan of exercise, but did love swimming in her pool, and did enjoy her regular walks through the zoo grounds with Burma and the elephant keepers

Her illness

Kashin was nearly 41 and this is considered a little over middle-aged. In the wild, an elephant's life expectancy is between 60 – 70 years. In captivity, if in good health, some elephants can live considerably longer.

Living with chronic illnesses

For a not-so-old girl, Kashin had chronic medical conditions that some might associate with a much older animal or person, particularly her arthritis, which first reared its head in the early 1990s. She had arthritis in her front carpal joints – the knees in her front legs, in her back stifle joints – the knees in her back legs as well as stiffness in her hips and shoulders.

In addition, Kashin had recurring abscesses in both her front feet, and other related skin ulcers that can flare up when her feet break out – invariably in the cold and wet of winter.
In 1994, due to osteomyelitis (infection of the bone), she required surgery to remove the remaining two bones of the fourth digit (toe) of her right front foot. Kashin also has had muscle wasting – a natural consequence of the aging process, and inability to exercise as much.

In the last couple of months, Kashin also suffered from skin lesions' on her body, which despite treatment, were not healing.

Expert Assistance

Several experts had been involved in Kashin's care over the years, including orthopaedic, large animal and eye specialists, visiting veterinarians and experienced keepers from overseas zoos and also advice has often been sought, and received, on appropriate forum sites on the internet.

Conservation Status

Asian elephants are classified as endangered with major threats including habitat destruction through illegal logging and poaching.

Auckland Zoo Asian Elephant Conservation Support

• The Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund supports Wildlife Protection Units in Sumatra that are active in protecting elephants, conducting surveys and monitoring their populations
• The Conservation Fund also supports the Elephant Nature Park's 'Trees for Elephants' in Thailand. This project is working to regenerate native rainforests in northern Thailand – home to elephants and a diverse range of other wildlife