Sad news today from The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee:  Bella, the dog who made international headlines as the treasured companion of The Sanctuary’s first elephant, Tarra, has died, likely as the result of a coyote attack. In a letter on The Elephant Sanctuary website, CEO Rob Atkinson writes:

“We noticed Bella was not with Tarra at breakfast on Tuesday and later that morning she still had not appeared. Tarra and Bella have always spent short periods apart as one goes off exploring briefly on their own, but this longer absence worried us deeply and a search of the property was started which continued into the next day. The search ended tragically when Bella’s body was found close to the Asia barn that had long been home to Tarra, her five sisters and Bella.”

Dr. Scott, long-time veterinarian for Bella and all The Sanctuary’s animals, determined the cause of death, saying in a press release, ”Bella’s injuries show she was attacked by animals, probably coyotes.” Samples have been sent for analysis to check whether other causes may have contributed to her death. [Read more...]