November 19, 2020 3:20 a.m.

George the elephant has passed away.

The longtime resident of Wildlife Safari in Winston died of an apparent heart condition on Monday.

Executive Director Dan Van Slyke said “George is a huge loss for Wildlife Safari and the Douglas County community”. He said “George has been a fixture here for 30 years and has been helping to make family memories ever since”.

A release said George was not being treated for anything heart related and the death appeared to be age related. Marketing Director Jacob Schlueter said George was believed to be 39 years old.

The release said George was surrounded by caring park staff when he passed. He is survived by the remaining three elephants – Tava, Moja and Valarie.