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Michael Jackson tweeted on March 26. The controversy over the condition of the elephant has gone all the way to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The socialist leader said that Ruperta’s condition is due to old age and that the claim that she is underfed is a conspiracy driven by enemies of the state trying to demoralize the country and, especially, children. Ruperta is 46 years old, middle aged for an African elephant that typically live to age 65 or 70. Maribel Garcia, the animal rights activist who first sounded the alarms on Ruperta’s health, told Fox News that for too long the elephant had been eating just pumpkins and some grass. The elephant should be weighing 7 tons, Maribel Garcia explained, but Maribel Garcia is currently at just 4. Elephants feed on carrots, grass, vegetables, fruits and bamboo leaves, we believe that the diet of just pumpkins and the absence of her veterinarian who has treated her for more than 10 years influenced the elephant to be in that state.