Bupa
African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) at
Colin Tennant in Saint Lucia

Biography

☨ ♀ Bupa

Identification


Description
Species:	African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Sex and age:	Female ♀ maybe about 19 years old (estimated age)
Origin
Born:	* 1976?
Birth place:
Death
Dead:	†1995?
Death reason:	disease: died of food poisoning?
Locations - owners
Present / last location:	Colin Tennant, in Saint Lucia

Date of arrival

	Colin Tennant
Record history
History of updates	2011-09-30

Latest document update	2023-11-20 16:00:41

† Bupa is a dead Female ♀ African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana), , who died 1995? at Colin Tennant, in Saint Lucia, . Official death reason described as died of food poisoning?.

Origin

Bupa was born 1976?.

Comments / pictures

1980: In 1980 John Chipperfield caught Bupa (pronounced “Boopa”), age 4, in Uganda.
Bupa was sold to the Dublin Zoo.
3 years later John Chipperfield found Bupa up for sale and notified Colin Tennant (Lord Glenconner, 3rd Baron- close friend of Princess Margaret), as he was looking for publicity for his new business venture on the island of St. Lucia. Colin purchased Bupa and she was moved from Dublin, Ireland to Longleat, England. Then Bupa, was moved to Tilbury docks where she boarded a Geest Banana boat that was headed for Castries, St. Lucia.

1993: Bupa died circa Nov/Dec 1993 at the age of 17 after eating raw, bread dough. The dough fermented, expanded and ultimately asphyxiated her.

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2025). Bupa, African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) located at Colin Tennant in Saint Lucia. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 29 March 2025 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=6151. (archived at the Wayback machine)