WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Cameron Park Zoo lost two of its beloved animals Thursday, officials said.

Tembo, an African elephant, and Maharani, a Sumatran tiger, both died on the same day. Zoo staff and volunteers are grieving the losses, according to officials.

Tembo made Waco her home for almost 50 years after arriving as a young rescue in 1978, the zoo reported. She moved to Cameron Park Zoo in 1993, where she spent her final decades.

The elephant celebrated her 49th birthday this past July 4 — a date zoo staff picked to honor the bicentennial year when she first arrived, officials said. Tembo died Thursday evening, and veterinarians will perform a full examination to determine the cause.

Over the years, generations of visitors got to know Tembo through her gentle nature, curiosity and lo

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