From beginning to end. Pregolya's life was tragic in every sense. She was born in the Kaliningrad Zoo in Russia in 1970 and lived there for all 56 of her years, a tragedy in itself. Her five babies were sired by her own father, Jimmy. Incest is inherently avoided by elephants in the wild. Four of her babies died at birth or shortly after. Only one, Candy, lived past two months, and she was shipped off to a circus at 8 months old. Jimmy died in 2000, leaving Pregolya alone for the last 26 years of her life. This is yet another tragedy; female elephants especially need to bond with other elephants.

Infanticide Repeated From Birth to Birth

Most tragic of all, Pregolya killed at least three of her babies at birth or shortly after. Yet despite this cycle of death and despair, the zoo kept breeding her.  Infanticide is extremely rare in the wild, and for a mother to kill not one but all three, and likely four of her babies, is a clear sign of trauma. The conditions of captivity lead to brain damage and stunted, deeply deprived lives.

Was infanticide a result of the deprivations of zoo life, the innate wisdom that inbreeding is unnatural,  or the lack of any mentoring provided to Pregolya by other females? It's hard to know. We do know that Pregolya's first baby was born when she was 10 years old, far younger than wild elephants. And there were no other female elephants at the zoo since Shanda died in 1974 when Pregolya was only four years old. Elephants in the wild are surrounded by their mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and cousins, who form a tight bond to help new mothers with their babies. Pregolya was denied all female companionship or mentoring.

Candy’s Story is Another Tragedy 

Pregolya’s daughter, Candy, had an equally tragic short life. She started her circus life at under one year old and was forced to perform tricks with sharp-tipped bullhooks until she was sent to the Yerevan Zoo in Latvia at 12 years old, where she died one year later at 13. At just six years old, she killed her trainer, showing a rare rebellious and violent streak for such a young elephant

Pregolya's End, a Final Note of Suffering

Pregolya's final months were marked by more suffering. On January 4, 2026, she collapsed, and, unable to get up, she was euthanized. Her likely cause of death was stroke or cancer.

RIP Pregolya. Back in 2007, a petition was circulated to free her to a sanctuary, but her story has now faded from memory. We will always remember and honor Pregolya’s resilient spirit and years of stoic suffering in the bitter cold winters of Russia. We will continue to fight to free all elephants from the tortured life she endured for so long.

Read more about Forgotten Elephants.