Dear John,
Imagine losing every child you’ve ever had—because of where you’re forced to live.
That’s Rozie’s reality.
Rozie is a 32-year-old Asian elephant who has spent her entire life confined to a five-acre exhibit at the ABQ BioPark in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Born in captivity, Rozie has never known freedom. She’s never wandered vast landscapes, bathed in a river, or lived among a thriving elephant herd. She’s spent decades under human control, stripped of the ability to express her natural behaviors.
In the wild, female elephants live in close-knit matriarchal herds. They roam for miles each day, forming deep, lifelong bonds. Rozie was born with all the same instincts—but she has been denied the chance to live as nature intended.
Her story is one of heartbreaking trauma and injustice.
In the last 15 years, Rozie has endured four pregnancies. Three of her calves—Daizy, Jazmine, and Thorn—died from the same preventable disease, elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), which has proven deadly for captive-born elephants. Her most recent calf was stillborn in December 2024.
It’s not hard to imagine the physical toll and emotional suffering Rozie has endured from these births and losses over the years. And still, the ABQ BioPark continues to breed her. Despite overwhelming evidence of harm, the zoo remains committed to a captive breeding program that exploits elephants under the guise of conservation.
If the BioPark truly cares about the elephants in its custody, it must stop prioritizing breeding quotas over well-being—and finally consider what Rozie truly needs: autonomy, peace, and the chance to live a more natural and free life at a sanctuary.
Will you help us share Rozie’s story and, if you haven’t already, sign our pledge to end elephant captivity?
