And with that, the 2022 #Vigil4Elephants is done. We will continue to remember those captive elephants that passed away in 2022 and the previous years as well.

We thank everyone that co-hosted, shared our posts and commented. It is a tough thing to research these elephants on many levels. Gathering their stories, finding and identifying photos, and the emotional toll for our administrators of reading and writing about these deaths is heartbreaking. But it’s the least we can do to release them with the dignity they never received during their lives.

**THIS IS THE FINAL ELEPHANT POST FOR 2022**

From our anonymous friends in China:

Najiya was born on March 10, 2019 in Shijiazhuang Zoo, Hebei, China. She was the first elephant born in the zoo, so her birth was a good & big news in Shijiazhuang then. She was the first child of father Natu & mom Aobao, who conceived at age of 9. She is also a niece of Molly, the famous elephant successfully saved from a circus zoo owning to strong public pressure.

Najiya lived happily with her mom, dad, younger brother Xiaoer & nanny Mai, though they were often

Little Tsavo, an African elephant, was born into captivity on March 7, 2020 at the Der Grüne Zoo Wuppertal in Germany to his mother Sweni. On November 21, 2022, Tsavo had to be euthanized due to tetanus. The infection was confirmed by tests at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Veterinarians suspected that tetanus could have been the cause of his sudden deterioration in health. It's unusual, nonetheless.According to the Wuppertal Zoo, this is the first case of tetanus that has been described & confirmed in an African elephant & in an elephant in Europe.

Prema, an Asian female Elephant, died in the Nandankanan Zoo in India on October 28, 2022.Her place of birth is unknown & there are conflicting reports of her age. It appears she was around 67 when she died. At some point, Prema was transferred to the Nandankanan Zoo from another zoo in India. It appears that Prema was ill for at least 3 months & at the time of her death was unable to stand. The official cause of death is arthritis. However, it was also reported that she died from an infection in her toenail that did not heal after surgery.

Prema’s story

According to Miami media, Dahlip (aka Dalip) arrived on June 2, 1995 to the Zoo Miami (Miami Metro Zoo), relocated from the Two Tails Ranch, in United States.
Dalip was believed to be the oldest male elephant in the United States. As the media & zoo will tell us, he was an “icon at the Miami zoo dating back to its original Key Biscayne location.”
He had been in declining health, including weight loss, which will attest to captive-related health problems.
According to Channel Ten, he was born in captivity in India and was soon sent to South Florida as a

Rohini, a female Asian Elephant, was born in an unspecified location in India. She was privately held by an individual & in 2008 she was transferred to Top Slip Kozhikkamuthy Elephant Camp by court order. The Top Slip facility appears to be a training ground for captive Elephants. It was reported that Rohini did not adjust to life in the camp & in late 2021 the Chief Wildlife Warden ordered her transfer to the Elephant Rescue & Rehabilitation Center. Rohini suffered from several ailments including respiratory distress, liver & kidney problems &

Bamboo’s life in capacity was troubled all the way through. She was wild born in 1966 (possibly in Thailand, but not known for sure) and originally sent to Elephant Mountain (a roadside zoo) near Seattle but shortly after she was sent to Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle in 1968. In August 2005, Bamboo was sent to the Port Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, WA, after being unable to cohabitate with the younger elephants & calf. However, she was unable to be integrated into the group there either & was returned to her previous home 10 months later. The Port Defiance Zoo