She was considered a friend, a therapist, an occasional "matchmaker" and a Perth icon – now the life of Tricia the elephant has been memorialised at the Perth Zoo.
The zoo matriarch died several days ago aged 65.
She was the oldest elephant to be cared for by a zoo in Australasia, and one of the oldest elephants in the world.
The Tricia Memorial Walk was opened at the Perth Zoo on Sunday, with hundreds walking along the elephant's well-trodden path, which is now lined with the history of her life.
The memorial walk includes tributes from her keepers, some of whom spent a huge part of their lives caring for her.
One of those was senior elephant keeper Steve Edmunds.
"Probably within the first 12 months, she was a bit suspicious of me. Once I got to know her, and she got to know me, she was probably one of my best friends," Mr Edmunds said.
For many West Australians, Tricia has been an integral part of their lives growing up.
Trish Hale remembers each milestone Tricia reached at the zoo.
"Every time I came to the zoo … I had to go and see Tricia. All my life she's been here. She was our elephant," Ms Hale said as she walked through the memorial.
"This is just so incredible. I'm meant to be driving back to Busselton now, but I'm at the zoo because I want to farewell Tricia."
Joanne and Michael Wheeler have celebrated several life milestones at the zoo with Tricia.
"I was about 14 and he was 16, and we came to the zoo on our first date," Ms Wheeler said.
Others were still reeling from the loss of a WA household name, including eight-year-old Cassius.
"I'm shattered … having such a special animal lost."
Hundreds of visitors wrote notes to farewell Tricia at the memorial, including WA Premier Mark McGowan and his family.
Mr McGowan said Tricia "got into the hearts and minds of West Australians" in a way he had never experienced.
"I also remember coming to various events and functions and she would come out and attend, and be quite the star at parties and birthday parties, and weddings," he said.
He dismissed rumours of Tricia's body being preserved and put on display at a museum, and said the decision regarding the animal's body was still being discussed.
Tricia was born in Vietnam and arrived in WA in 1963 – since then her enclosure was turned from a concrete enclosure to one featuring a swimming pool and lush greenery with multiple keepers dedicated to her care.
Her death marked the beginning of the end of the elephant exhibit at Perth Zoo, with Putra Mas and Permai set to be rehomed to other zoos with elephant herds.
A Tricia Tribute to Conservation Fund has been established to support conservationists in Sumatra.
