Monica
African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) at
Virginia Zoo in United States

Biography

☨ ♀ Monica
Museum locations
Present / last location:	Washington National Museum of Natural History, in United States

Date of arrival

2011-04-26	Washington National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, United States

Identification

Museum accession number	NMNH USNM 590941
Lab Code	W2011-0055
SSP nr	128

Description
Species:	African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Sex and age:	Female ♀ 38 years old
Characteristics:	skull, skeleton, glandular tissue from head, cross section of the trunk
Body weight:	4500.00 kg, 9900.00 lbs
Origin
Born:	* 1973 wild
Birth place:
Death
Dead:	†2011-04-26
Death reason:	euthanised:
Locations - owners
Present / last location:	Virginia Zoo, in United States

Date of arrival

1976-07-27	Virginia Zoo from Vivo Animales

Record history
History of updates	2010-11-12: weight 2011-04-09: Previous locations, Birth, SSP, Text RE 2011-04-28: dead 2011-04-28: new weight

Latest document update	2021-07-28 08:31:34
Google map

† Monica is a dead Female ♀ African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana), , who died 2011-04-26 at Virginia Zoo, in United States, .

Museum locationThe Museum specimen remains of this animal is within the collection at Washington National Museum of Natural History, in Washington, DC, United States, since 2011-04-26.

Origin

Monica was born wild 1973.

Comments / pictures

04/08/2011 Monica is sick: http://www.dailypress.com/features/dp-shopping-elephant-sick-norfolk-zoo,0,7011716.story

Before she became sick, Monica weighed about 9,900 pounds

Necropsy was conducted by National Zoological Park (NZP) staff. Cross section of Trunk made by Joy Reidenberg was returned to be kept in collection.

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2026). Monica, African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) located at Virginia Zoo in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 16 January 2026 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=2850. (archived at the Wayback machine)