Deadly herpes virus – a third elephant dies at Zurich Zoo – News
- The Zurich Zoo has lost a third elephant: The five-year-old elephant cow Ruwani died on Saturday morning as a result of a herpes virus, the zoo said.
- After two-year-old Umesh and eight-year-old Omysha, Ruwani was the last elephant in acute danger.
Until Friday, Ruwani had shown no signs of illness. In the days before, your load had fluctuated between high viruses and low values, the zoo said. In order to prevent the disease from breaking out, the zoo also started concomitant treatment with antiviral drugs early on.
At the end of June, the two-year-old elephant bull Umesh died of the virus, and almost two weeks ago the eight-year-old female elephant Omysha. According to the zoo, Ruwani was the last elephant in acute danger.
Deep concern
Zoo Director Severin Dressen was dismayed in a statement: “It is a deeply sad day for us at Zurich Zoo.” The fact that they have now lost three young elephants at this particularly vulnerable age in such a short time is “just shocking”. “And even if we rationally know that the animals carry the virus and that these young elephants are also dying in other zoos and in nature, we are just sad.”
It is frustrating that they are powerless against the virus despite the best veterinary care from the university animal hospital. The elephant house, the keepers and the whole animal hospital felt given everything in the last few weeks. The zoo is very grateful for that.
The herpes virus is widespread among elephants. “We know that every elephant in a zoo or in the wild probably has the virus latently,” zoo director Severin Dressen said two weeks ago.
Ruwani belonged to one of the two matriarchal groups of elephants in the zoo. They form one group with their mother Farha and grandmother Ceyla-Himali, Umesh and Omysha and their mother Indi and sister Chandra form the other group.
At 17, Farha is now the youngest elephant at Zurich Zoo. It is assumed that there is only a low risk of disease for the five remaining elephants, it said. The animals received would continue to be medically monitored.