Bhubaneswar: A baby elephant died after fighting herpes virus for a week at Nandankanan Zoo near Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
According to sources, the caretakers of the baby elephant, Abhi, found it inactive and not taking food. On being informed, veterinary surgeons checked the elephant and detected high temperature. They immediately started preliminary treatment and sent its blood sample for laboratory test.
The blood test in the Centre for Wildlife Health’s laboratory revealed that Abhi was infected by Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus (EEHV). The doctors of the veterinary hospital inside the zoo started treatment of Abhi and kept him under constant observation.
At around 12 noon on Thursday, Abhi became restless and displayed abnormal behaviour. The veterinarians gave him life-saving drugs and put him under oxygen supply. But he succumbed in the afternoon.
Abhi was brought from Keonjhar Forest Division to Nandankanan when he was just two months old on June 25, 2023. He was under direct care of the zoo officials since then.
It may be noted that a 66-67 years old female elephant, named ‘Prema’, in the zoo had died of old age related complications on October 28, 2022. With Prema’s death, the number of elephants in the zoo has come down to 3.