Calgary Zoo's Baby Elephant Very Sick

[FFR]

Just reported on ctv.com

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081031/CGY_elephant_sick_081031/20081031/?hub=CalgaryHome

"The baby elephant at the Calgary Zoo is extremely ill.

Veterinarians say Malti has been diagnosed with elephant herpesvirus"

I did some research on herpesvirus...apparently it occurs in the wild and captivity and can be passed at birth or contact with another infected elephant. It's really hard to find objective information about it. Most sites that I found any mention of it are ones that don't support zoos.

[rubecube]

Is it me or has the Calgary Zoo been in the news for a lot of these kinds of things in the last few years? The stingray incident was only about six months ago.

[JiriHrdina]

Yes the zoo has had a bad run - the rays, the gorilla and now this. And the sad thing is organizations like Zoo Watch will more than likely use it to jump all over them. The fact is nature is cruel and these things just happen both in captivity and in the Wild (the death of the rays being a notable exception as that remains a mystery, that the zoo isn't even sure they will ever solve).

[Nancy]

Although I generally support the Calgary Zoo, I am a bit uncomfortable with both the elephant and giraffe exhibits. I think these animals are too big for the zoo, especially in the winter when they get stuck in their tiny indoor enclosures.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

"Shortly after 2:00 p.m. Malti awoke from a nap and collapsed," said zoo veterinarian Sandie Black. "We will be conducting a post mortem exam over the weekend and hope to have more information about what specifically caused her death by early in the week."

The four adult elephants, including Malti's mother, Maharani, had the chance to gather around the elephant calf to say a final goodbye.

Sad. Such wonderful creatures.

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/afec9cb0-abdf-4a7e-a449-9a4cc92b5a27/110108_malti.jpg?size=l

[ricoFlame]

this is very sad. i don't want to get into the whole zoo's are good/bad debate, but this is just sad.

[habernac]

#$%!, my son will be heartbroken. Absolutely loved the baby elephant. Very sad day.

[Superflyer]

This is very sad, I love the zoo and loved to see Malti.

Here is a link (http://www.calgaryzoo.com/images/stories/pdf/news/malti_illness2.pdf) to the news release.

[pepper24]

That's awful. I got to see her back in September. It was the best part of the day.

Very sad news.

[MRCboicgy]

That's so sad. This summer I got some great pics of the her playing with a piece of garbage. one of the cutest things ever. That was a week before the rays got sick. Touching them was awesome too. Damn.

[Joborule]

That very sad to hear. :(

[McG]

we enjoyed watching the baby elephant in the summer...my kids are going to be sad about this.

they are magnificent animals.

[Dan02]

this is very sad. i don't want to get into the whole zoo's are good/bad debate, but this is just sad.

What's really sad is that whether you think zoos are good or bad, by the time my grandchildren come around it might be the only place you see some of these big species.

[BuzzardsWife]

Although I generally support the Calgary Zoo, I am a bit uncomfortable with both the elephant and giraffe exhibits. I think these animals are too big for the zoo, especially in the winter when they get stuck in their tiny indoor enclosures.
Agreed! but I am so sad about the baby elephant. He did so good his first year and he was so cute! My little one loved seeing him.

[sclitheroe]

If I understand correctly, the baby caught the virus from the adult elephants, where its not fatal.

I wonder what impact this would have on future breeding efforts at the zoo?

[Russic]

Terribly sad news. Her mom was doing so well with her too. The zoo staff must be just devastated over this.

While it's hard losing animals I don't think the zoo is experiencing anything out of the ordinary. Mortality rates for baby animals can be extremely high.