On Monday, the Oregon Zoo euthanized a 31-year-old elephant named Rama. The zoo officials took this hard decision as Rama was in extreme pain due to an old leg injury.

Rama was treated with physical therapy techniques and anti-inflammatory medications. But the zoo officials said that none of them were proving effective to lessen the pain. In fact, no new modifications were able to improve Rama's quality of life.

In 1990, Rama suffered the leg injury when older female elephants pushed a young bull out of Portland zoo's herd, a common activity seen in the wild. In the incident, Rama fell into a moat. Zoo officials were of the view that Rama liked to paint. His art has been displayed in a Portland gallery.

Jeb Barsh, a former caregiver, said that Rama was known for the enthusiasm he used to show. Barsh said that he used to follow him around and used to look for opportunities to paint.

"We knew Rama's injury would catch up with him someday, but it still doesn't make the loss any easier", said Bob Lee, zoo elephant curator, who also affirmed that it is a sad day for everyone at the zoo.

Lee said that the incident is especially disheartening for many keepers who were committed to provide the special care to Rama throughout the years. Tim Storms, zoo veterinarian, said that Rama's body weight was not equally distributed on four legs, but was distributed over three. This fact, added a significant amount of pressure on the other legs over time.

In 2013, Rama also received treatment for tuberculosis, but the disease was not the factor in his decline.