IDA Releases Report on Elephant Herpesvirus

A relatively recently discovered disease, the Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV), is having a deadly impact on Asian elephants in zoos. Little is known about the disease or its transmission. However, what is known is that one form of the virus crosses species, jumping from African to Asian elephants, infecting mainly young Asians with a disease so lethal it kills nearly all of its victims.

While African elephants have also died from a form of EEHV (two reported deaths), this report focuses on Asian elephants, as this species is most gravely affected by the disease in zoos and overwhelmingly represents the greatest number of deaths.

The transmission of the virus from African to Asian elephants can be directly attributed to the unnatural conditions in which elephants are held in zoos, where the two distinct species have been held together though they never would be found together in the wild.

Despite the tragic consequences of the disease, the zoo industry has failed to take concrete action to stop its spread and protect the population of elephants living in North American zoos. Zoos recklessly continue to breed Asian elephants, even those facilities most severely impacted by the disease, and the continued transfer of Asian elephants between zoos potentially carries the deadly virus to elephants in even more zoos. The result of the zoo industry's inaction has been the suffering and unnecessary deaths of young Asian elephants and a high rate of stillbirths.

In light of the zoo industry's failure to take decisive action to protect elephants, In Defense of Animals is calling for an end to the breeding of Asian elephants and all transfers of Asian elephants between zoos.

Read IDA's report. (PDF 724k)