Zurich Zoo
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NOS News•today, 03:30
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An elephant has died of the herpes virus for the third time in a month at the Zurich zoo in Switzerland. The five-year-old female Ruwani died suddenly yesterday morning while she had no symptoms the day before. The elephant was also given antiviral drugs to protect her from the virus that all elephants carry latently.
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Earlier, the two-year-old bull Umesh and the female Omysha (8) already succumbed to the virus. Young elephants in particular are particularly susceptible to the herpes virus because the protection provided by their mothers’ antibodies decreases and their own immune system may not have formed antibodies yet.
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“To lose a third elephant to this terrifying virus in such a short time is tragic,” director Severin Dressen told Swiss media. “It’s a very sad day. It’s even more frustrating that we are powerless against this virus despite the best medical care from the University Hospital for Veterinary Medicine.”
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The zoo does not expect any more animals to die as the youngest elephant in Zurich is now 17.
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