12 minutes | Tuesday, 9 July 2024
Gerry Creighton who looked after the elephants at Dublin Zoo for over 30 years speaks to Trina about the tragic death of two elephants, Avani and Zinda.
They contracted Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV). The virus, which attacks membranes, rapidly causes fever and bleeding with a mortality rate up to 85%. Almost all Asian elephants carry the virus, in the wild and in zoos, but it only develops into an illness for some and there is no vaccination against it. It does not pose a health risk to humans.