Chester Zoo mourns sudden loss of beloved young Asian elephant Riva

Chester Zoo has announced the sudden and unexpected death of Riva, a much-loved female Asian elephant, who passed away during a routine medical procedure.

The loss of the four year old has left the zoo’s team and the wider conservation community heartbroken.

Riva received continuous care from a dedicated team of 15 elephant and veterinary experts.

Concerns were raised after anomalies were detected in a routine blood test conducted on Wednesday, 21 August 2024.

It was determined that further diagnostic procedures were necessary to understand the nature of these findings.

However, Riva tragically died under general anaesthetic during the procedure.

“Our teams did everything they could to try to revive her but, tragically, nothing could be done,” Chester Zoo said in a statement.

“We’re now awaiting results from a series of tests which we hope will tell us more about the exact cause.

“We’re desperate to find the answers but it may take some time before we have full clarity on what happened due to the number of ongoing tests and the specialist nature of them.”

Jamie Christon, the CEO of Chester Zoo, expressed the profound impact of Riva’s death on both the staff and the broader community.

“It really is difficult to find the words – we’re so utterly heartbroken to have lost Riva.”

“She was an incredibly special elephant who was much-loved by so many.”

“She’ll be greatly missed,” he said. “Our hearts go out to our wonderful elephant and vet teams who cared for Riva day in, day out.”

“Her loss is ever so tough to take and is not only felt deeply here but across our conservation community given what a huge blow this is to the conservation of endangered Asian elephants.”

“We are devastated by this news.”

Asian elephants are listed as Endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

They face numerous threats including poaching, habitat loss, conflict with humans, and disease.

Chester Zoo has been actively involved in Asian elephant conservation through its successful breeding programme and support for vital conservation efforts in the wild, particularly in India.