Move sought for oldest elephant may be too late

Online petition has attracted signatures tomove 69yearold Hanako to sanctuary

In the humble zoo, among the small cages of owls, guinea pigs and raccoons, Japan's oldest elephant stands in a concrete pen about the size of half of a basketball court. She drinks sugar water from a bucket and munches on bananas with her last remaining tooth while a debate is being waged about where she should live out her final years.

A gift from the Thai government in 1949, Hanako, or "flower child", has lived in a zoo since she was two and her current 69 years is about the lifespan of captive Asian elephants.