Putschie
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) at
Kolmarden Zoo in Sweden

Biography

☨ ♀ Putschie
Putchie and elephant keeper Pelle Zettersten in Kolmården Zoo 1999. Photo: Petra Schmidt

Alternative name:	Putschi, Putscher, Butscha

Identification

EEP nr	7001

Description
Species:	Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
Sex and age:	Female ♀ 30 years old

People killed:	1: killed elephant keeper Robert Nilsson by accident, 1991
Origin
Born:	* 1971 wild
Birth place:	in Asia unspecified location
Death
Dead:	†2001-10-31
Death reason:	euthanised: Elephant Elephant TB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) (Mycobacterium tuberculosis)
Locations - owners
Present / last location:	Kolmarden Zoo, in Sweden

Date of arrival

1990-05-02	Kolmarden Zoo from Copenhagen Zoo

1985-03-20	Copenhagen Zoo from Odense Zoo (Odense Dyrehave)

1980-00-00	Odense Zoo (Odense Dyrehave) from Walter Sensen Zoo-Agentur

	Walter Sensen Zoo-Agentur from Circus Barum

Record history
History of updates	2024-11-30: text 2025-03-18: PC 2025-04-11:

Latest document update	2021-11-20 13:13:29
Google map

† Putschie is a dead Female ♀ Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), , who died 2001-10-31 at Kolmarden Zoo, in Sweden, . Official death reason described as Elephant Elephant TB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) (Mycobacterium tuberculosis).

Affiliated people

1: Dan Koehl (elephant keeper from 2000 to 2000 )

Casualties

1 casualties

1991: elephant keeper Robert Nilsson fatal accident by Putschie. Donkey attacked Putsche, who pushed Nilsson into a wall † Robert Nilsson Died 1991, Kolmarden Zoo. Head and body crushed

Origin

Putschie was born wild 1971 at Asia unspecified location.

Comments / pictures

Contradictory records:

Records about Putschie from EEPEuropean Studbook for Asian elephants state following records for the asian elephant Putschie:

7001 F ~ 1970 WILD WILD CIRCUS 1 Jan 1971 NONE Transfer Putschie
UNKNOWN ~ 1979 NONE Transfer
ODENSE ~ 1980 MAX3 Transfer
COPENHAGE 20 Mar 1985 100858 Loan to
KOLMARDEN 2 May 1990 4393 Loan to
31 Oct 2001 Death
[Death by: Euthanasia (medical) ? Unknown ? No Necropsy planned]

Source: EEP studbook for Asian elephants online

In 1991, elephant keeper Robert Nilsson, here with Donkey, was killed by the elephant Putschie.

Putschie was the first elephant in Kolmarden Zoo that had an open infection of Tuberculosis. She went down in weight, and started to drink large amounts of water, in the end upto 600 liters per day. Her condition became worse, and she was finally euthanised in 2001. During autopsy it was discovered that her Lungs was affected by TB.

Putschie in Kolmarden Zoo
Photo: Dan Koehl

Left: Putschie during riding operations, Kolmarden 2000. Right: Putschie and riders Liza Tenne and Otilia Tenne.

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2025). Putschie, Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) located at Kolmarden Zoo in Sweden. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 18 April 2025 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=136. (archived at the Wayback machine)