The Dallas Zoo announced Tuesday that one of its elephants has died.
According to the zoo, the 7-year-old African elephant, Ajabum, passed away Monday evening after a 12-day battle with a viral infection known as Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) after previously surviving it in March 2021.
The zoo says EEHV is carried naturally by elephants living in the wild, as well as in human care, and it is thought almost all elephants are either born with or exposed to EEHV shortly after birth. Although the often-lethal disease is mostly found in Asian elephants, it has begun to show up more in African elephants.
Ajabum showed no physical signs or symptoms of the viral infection, but the zoo crew members immediately began aggressive treatment to try to stem the progression of the virus.
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"He surprised us all with his entrance to the world following the rescue of the Swaziland elephants, which included his mom Mlilo, in 2016, and now we have lost him much too soon. Please hold your entire Dallas Zoo family close to your heart as we navigate together through the difficult days ahead." the Dallas Zoo team wrote in a statement released Tuesday.
