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The beloved Beulah the elephant, who you may recognize from the Sussex County and Meadowlands State Fairs, died last week.
She was being used for photo ops at The Big E in West Springfield, Mass. when she took her final breath on Sept. 15, suffering a heart attack while on display at 54 years old, a fair spokesperson said.
R.W. Commerford & Sons (Beulah's handler) canceled the exhibit abruptly and later announced Beulah's death, extreme animal rights group PETA said.
Beulah has long been a traveling elephant with R.W. Commerford & Sons Traveling Petting Zoo and has been a highlight for many fair-goers for more than 18 years.
Animal rights activists, however, have long been fighting for her freedom.
"In 2017, Commerford received a citation for failing to provide Beulah with adequate veterinary care for overgrown cuticles," the organization said. "This condition can predispose elephants to painful foot disease, which is a leading cause of death in those held captive.
"Beulah desperately needed to be retired, but she never was. She lived in pain and died a prisoner."
Last March, Commerford's other elephant Karen died, leaving him with only one -- Minnie.
The Big E! President Eugene Cassidy called the protesting misguided and said the presence of an elephant at state fairs is important to educate children.
"These so called animal rights groups taken to the extreme are terrorists,” he told MassLive.com.
“Presenting animals to help people understand what they are fulfills an educational mission at the Eastern States.
"These groups used the natural events of a beautiful, healthy elephant passing away in the normal course of its life as a means by which to gin up supports and raise contributions to themselves."
Her death sparked a petition to end the use of wild animal acts at The Big E! The petition had garnered more than 141,000 signatures as of Thursday.
A Facebook group for Beulah was created 7 years ago for Beulah after a person saw her at another Massachusetts fair "
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