Within a few weeks, three elephants have now died from a herpes virus infection. It is a great loss for the zoo.
The zoo’s herd of elephants has shrunk significantly as a result of the virus.
no. Another elephant died at Zurich Zoo from the deadly herpes virus that had spread through the herd. The zoo announced this on Saturday. The deceased animal is the five-year-old elephant cow Ruwani. All three elephants that were infected died.
As the zoo further announced, Ruwani was the third and last elephant between the ages of two and eight years acutely endangered by the herpes virus. Two-year-old bull Umesh died at the end of June, and his eight-year-old sister Omysha on July 11. The disease can cause severe internal bleeding and can be fatal within a few days.
For the zoo, which participates in the European Conservation Breeding Program for Asian Elephants, the loss of the animals is a heavy blow. The herd in the park has now been reduced from eight to five animals due to the virus. The elephants are one of the crowd pullers in the zoo.