Nandankanan Loses Another Elephant To Herpesvirus Infection!

Bhubaneswar: In a span of five days, Nanankanan Zoological Park, on the outskirts of the city, has lost another elephant.

Six-year-old ‘Kamala’ was undergoing treatment for suspected Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHV), a type of herpes virus which causes highly fatal hemorrhagic disease when transmitted to young Asian elephants and has a very high mortality rate, and died on Thursday, zoo authorities said.

On Sunday, 10-year-old male elephant Chandan had succumbed to herpesvirus infection. Chandan was rescued from Chandaka forest in July, 2010, and shifted to the zoo.

Following the death of Chandan, the zoo was left with six female elephants.

Now with Kamala gone, five female elephants, including 2 sub-adults, are left.

Meanwhile, the zoo has written to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), requesting it to issue a protocol on the disease.