The elephant from the Ecopark, after spending more than three decades in captivity in Buenos Aires, the African elephant died at the Elephant Sanctuary in Mato Grosso. She had been transferred in a historic operation in April, but the consequences of her life in the zoo proved irreversible.
Pupy, the last elephant from the Ecopark in Buenos Aires, has died. Her death occurred at the Elephant Sanctuary in Brazil, located in Chapada dos Guimarães, state of Mato Grosso, just 176 days after being transferred from Buenos Aires to begin a new life in freedom.
The news was confirmed by the organization Global Sanctuary for Elephants (GSF), which manages the refuge. “With deep sorrow, we share the news that Pupy passed away last night,” they reported in a statement.
According to the institution, the elephant had presented intermittent gastrointestinal problems in recent days. “She had a history of colic, so we knew this was possible, but even on her most difficult days, she kept eating,” the team explained. Although her appetite had improved with medication, it decreased again yesterday.
The turning point occurred when, early in the afternoon, she expelled about a kilo and a half of black stones foreign to the area’s geology. “From that moment, everything changed. Pupy looked more weak, was a bit more distant with people, and, in general, something felt different,” they recounted.
She was assisted throughout the day, but her condition deteriorated rapidly. “At the time of the evening meal, Pupy seemed somewhat unstable on her feet,” they described.
When Scott Blais, director and co-founder of the sanctuary, approached to give her water, her legs gave way and she fell to the ground. Kenya, the other African elephant at the sanctuary, showed immediate concern but allowed the team to move her to an adjacent corral to assist Pupy.
From there, she watched from about twenty meters away. Dr. Trish, a veterinarian who was on site, began attending to her, but Pupy died within minutes. “Then they opened the gate so Kenya could approach her friend. Although she initially hesitated to touch her, she then calmed down and spent the night by her side,” they detailed.
The organization pointed out the harsh reality of their work: “At the sanctuary, we receive older elephants who have spent decades without a proper diet, without veterinary care, and without any care for their feet, which are crucial for their health. (…) We know that the effects of captivity are profound and sometimes impossible to reverse.”
A journey of hope for the Ecopark elephant
Pupy, a 35-year-old African elephant, had arrived at the sanctuary on April 18, 2025, completing a five-day overland journey of more than 2700 kilometers from the Ecopark. At that time, the City’s Subsecretariat of Environment reported that she had arrived “in perfect health” and that the journey had been carried out with a special protocol that did not require the use of sedatives.
The complex operation was the result of a joint effort between the Ecopark, the Franz Weber Foundation, and Global Sanctuary for Elephants.
“Pupy is the last elephant that inhabited the Buenos Aires Ecopark and the last transfer of large animals,” the City Government communicated in April. Her arrival in Brazil symbolized the closure of a stage initiated in 2016, when the old zoo was transformed into a conservation center.
The journey, which began on April 14, was meticulously prepared, strengthening Pupy’s bond with the transport box and conducting medical checks.
During the journey, scheduled stops were made for her rest, feeding, and hydration. Upon arrival, the Ecopark team described the moment as “the first day of her new life”, in an initial ten-hectare space.
Scott Blais, director of the sanctuary, explained at that time Pupy’s initial caution: “She takes a run-up, gets brave, reaches there, and then backs up. It’s normal, we have to think that never, never since she was little did she leave her enclosure.”
Life in the sanctuary and the memory of Kuky
The intention was for Pupy to adapt to her new environment before meeting Kenya, the African elephant who arrived from Mendoza on July 9 and has been there for 94 days. Pupy had lost her lifelong companion, Kuky, a few days before the journey. As a memento, the caretakers brought the truck tire with which both used to play.
Kenya, the last elephant in captivity in the country, had arrived in Argentina in 1984 from a German zoo at just four years old, probably after being separated from her mother. She lived 40 years alone in Mendoza, and her preparation process for the transfer lasted seven years, as part of the goal to take all captive elephants from Argentina to the Brazilian sanctuary.
In her first hours of freedom, Pupy showed curiosity. The veterinarian Triscia London recounted: “Today she is brighter, more rested, following all the voices. (…) I sent videos to my partner, who works in Africa, and he said: that mind knows her life is already different.” Caretaker Leo Giovanelli, who accompanied her on the transfer, added: “I see her very calm. We saw her play, and that’s wonderful.”
The sanctuary in Chapada dos Guimarães is the first of its kind in Latin America. It currently houses five Asian elephants —Mara, Guillermina, Rana, Maia, and Bambi— and has a separate space for the Africans, where Kenya now remains alone. “I have immense gratitude to Argentina for deciding that it no longer wanted elephants behind bars. The whole world is watching them,” Scott Blais had stated.
The last goodbye
After the news, Project ELE posted on their networks: “Pupy, forever free. (…) At this moment, a necropsy is being performed, and tissue samples are being taken to send to the laboratory. When the results are available, which will take a few weeks, they will be publicly reported.”
The organization concluded: “We are left with the comfort of knowing she was in the best place, cared for by the best hands, and able to let her elephant soul flourish, which had been repressed in a zoo for too long.”
The story of Pupy, who spent more than three decades confined in Buenos Aires, ends less than six months after experiencing freedom. Her journey marked the closure of a stage at the Ecopark and left an indelible mark on all who followed her brief but significant path to freedom in Mato Grosso.
