When Mali was moved to Manila Zoo, she was placed in an enclosure with another female elephant named Shiva. Shiva, who had been rescued from a circus, was territorial and behaved aggressively towards Mali. Following Shiva's death in 1990, Mali was able to roam around her enclosure more freely. PETA alternatively had proposed that Mali be moved to the
Elephant Sanctuary in the United States. There were also contrary reports which suggested Mali was healthy. In 2013, Mali underwent a checkup in a lead-up to a potential transfer to Thailand. Nikorn Thongtip of
Kasetsart University remarked that Mali was "healthy in every system" although she exhibited "a little bit of obesity". Thongtip remarked that the elephant's nails "do not look bad, compared to elephants of the same age". Although Thongtip said that Mali had to be tested for tuberculosis, before she could be moved to Thailand. The following day, the
necropsy result was announced. She died of
congestive heart failure and had other health issues: nodules around her liver, a slightly inflamed kidney, a
neoplastic pancreas, and a clogged aorta. ==Preservation==