Rosa an African Bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) at Colchester Zoo

☨ Rosa
ID Number:EEP Number: 8311 - 
Species: African Bush elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Sex and age:Female ♀ 24 years old
Dead date: † 2007-11-06
Death reason: euthanised: vaginal/urinary tract issues
Location:Colchester Zoo
ArrivalColchester Zoo 1998-02-28
from Mary Chipperfield
Mary Chipperfield 1985-00-00
from Longleat Safari Park
Longleat Safari Park
from Franz van den Brink
Born:* 1983 wild Zimbabwe
Capture: 1985,
Offspring and year of birth:
  1. (M) 2004-03-15 Jambo, EEP nr: 20027
Document updated2009-01-29: Death, Text


2011-11-28: text


2011-12-12: text, origin

2017-03-09: link to Elefanten-Fotolexikon (Petra Prager) submitted
2017-03-09: link to ele-wiki submitted
2017-03-09: link to elephant-news.com
2017-03-09: link to Elephant Commentator
Rosa came through Van den Brink from somewhere in South Africa. //Roger Cawley

1998-02-28: Rosa was sold to Colchester by Mary Chipperfield.

Unfortunately, there is great concern surrounding Rosa the elephant at the moment. Rosa has been on treatment for the last two years for the pain that she has been suffering from inoperable problems with her vagina and urinary tract. Unfortunately, this pain relief is no longer proving effective and we are awaiting a decision from our veterinary consultants as to the best course of action.
Sadness as Zoo's Elephant is Put Down, 03/30/2007

Colchester Zoo is very sad to report that �Rosa� one of Colchester Zoo�s female elephants has had to be put to sleep due to serious health problems.
Rosa gave birth to Jambo, back in 2004 and since then had showed signs of severe discomfort, particularly whilst passing urine. Diagnosis of elephants is not an easy task, particularly due to their size so Colchester Zoo assembled a team of experts to investigate her symptoms. The team included the zoo�s consultant veterinary surgeon, from the International Zoo Veterinary Group based in the UK as well as vets from the Berlin Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, experts in the field of elephant reproductive physiology and biology.
Lengthy anaesthesia revealed that Rosa had polyps in her vestibule (entry to the reproductive system) and found evidence of scarring in the vagina that could affect the nerves in the pelvic area and concluded that these could be the cause of her pain. Even at this stage, the veterinary team concluded that surgery was not a viable option. Rosa was then given pain killers when in discomfort, however, over the following months the episodes increased to the point where Rosa was on a permanent pain relief programme.
By May, this year, keepers were reporting that the pain relief was no longer proving effective and her condition appeared to be worsening. In light of this it was decided that Rosa needs to be examined for a second time. The team was to look for changes since her last examination or any other conditions that may have manifested in the interim.
Although the polyps had grown, no other conditions were found and the decision was taken to try a brand new drug to try and help relieve her discomfort. This shrank her uterus and created an early menopause. Despite continuous monitoring over the last 6 months no improvement was seen at all.
On the advice of the veterinary team, Rosa was put to sleep late in the afternoon of the 6th November.
Colchester Zoo Very Sad to Report the Loss of Rosa the Elephant, 07/11/2007


Rosa on elephant-news.comElephant News: articles where Rosa is mentioned on elephant-news.com
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2007-11-08Sadness as zoos elephant is put down - Elephant News


Reference list

Koehl, D., (2020). Rosa, an African Bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) at Colchester Zoo in United Kingdom. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 20 September 2020 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=53. (archived at the Wayback machine)

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