The elephant Pocha, who had been transferred from Mendoza to a sanctuary in Brazil, died on Thursday night, but the cause of death is still unknown, informed the local authorities, who will carry out a autopsy.
In April of this year, Pocha, 55, and her daughter Guillermina, 22, received the necessary certificates in Argentina to be transferred from the former Mendoza zoo to a sanctuary in Brazil.
Both remained housed in the former Mendoza zoo converted into an Ecopark and the provincial government sought to transfer them to a “elephant sanctuary” located in the outside of Cuiabá, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.
“While Pocha was in Mendoza, we occasionally saw little signs that made us worry that she had underlying health problems, but nothing was ever diagnosed. When she and Guillermina arrived here at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, she had had an event where she got tired and she was a little slower to eat, but, after an injection of multivitamins, she improved,” they explained this Friday from the sanctuary through a statement.
They continued: “A few days ago we noticed that she was picky about her hay, although she was still grazing and enjoying all the produce she was given. After a vitamin shot last night, she looked brighter and, although she was still tired, she had more sparkle in her eyes. However, when we returned to see her later that night, we found that she had passed away.”
In what appears to be a ceremony, her daughter Guillermina “screamed at length to call her friends. Once we opened the doors for the other girls to enter, Bambi, Mara and Rana were there waiting to be with Guille,” they reported from the sanctuary through its website.
And they added that the elephant Rana “walked towards Pocha with Guillermina and then returned with the others. Next, Bambi approached, but kept a distance, with slightly open eyes and a worried look. After Bambi returned with the others girls, Mara arrived and stayed with Guille and Pocha”.
After that, one by one, the female elephants returned, this time Bambi “backing towards Pocha, sniffing her and stroking her face. Just after midnight, they all stood on different sides of Pocha, calm and relaxed, having one of those moments. of elephant that only they understand. A little before 4 am”.
“Each girl (as from the sanctuary they mentioned the elephants) stood close, some more than others, and observed Pocha’s body with respect. Elephants have an innate ability to communicate with each other in ways that we will never understand and that is what that seems to be going on among this group of packmates,” they explained.
“Although this is a difficult time and it can be difficult to process such a loss, we are grateful to Pocha for the love and stability she was able to provide Guillermina for 24 years.”they concluded.
condolence messages
The sanctuary opened a book of condolences that is already receiving messages.
Alicia Silvestri wrote “thank you for taking such good care of Pocha and for this beautiful tribute”; Marilyn said, “It’s heartbreaking. But I’m so happy that Pocha has had the chance to experience life at the Sanctuary, even if it’s only for a few months.”
Lois Steinberg said “we are crushed. We can only be content to know that Pocha experienced freedom before her untimely death. She also experienced this joy for her daughter. She lives on in our memories all over the world. I’m going to cry now.”
About Pocha
The elephant Pocha arrived in Argentina from London in the 1980s and settled in the Mendoza zoo, where she had her daughter, Guillermina.
In 2020, authorities from the Government of Mendoza signed an agreement with a sanctuary in Brazil to transfer the four elephants from the former Mendoza zoo, converted into an eco-park, to this unique space in South America that has natural environments adapted to improve the quality of life. species life.
In June of this year, and after a long process, the two Asian elephants arrived at the sanctuary located in Mato Grosso, Brazil, which became their new home, after five days of traveling by land.
