Houston Zoo bids farewell to Baby Mac the elephant

A very sad announcement from the Houston Zoo today, 2-year-old Mac the Asian elephant died of elephant herpesvirus last night:

Houston Zoo elephant keepers alerted the Zoo’s veterinarians Sunday morning when they saw indications that Mac was exhibiting initial symptoms of elephant herpesvirus. Our keepers perform regular inspections of all our elephants and are trained to look for indications such as loss of appetite, lethargy, and swelling in certain areas of the head.....

There is no cure for herpesvirus in animals or humans. It is only when an elephant is demonstrating clinical illness that zoos are able to detect the EEHV virus in blood or tissue. There is not yet a direct test to detect elephant herpes virus in a healthy animal with a latent (hidden) infection.

Keep an eye out for other Mac-related announcements and possible fundraising efforts, but in the meantime check out the Zoo's Flickr groups and photo albums to re-live some of little Mac's antics and mischief. We'll miss you Mac!