1 minute read
ASIAN ELEPHANTS
CHESTER ZOO | CHESTER | ENGLAND
The elephant is a firm favourite within zoological collections across the globe.
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With seven subspecies, the elephant has historically been a creature persecuted on mass by humans for their Ivory tusks, causing wild populations to enter systematic periods of decline; however the newest threat facing these creatures is one that is much less conspicuous.
The deadly Elephant endo-theliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) is a major threat to the survival of the endangered Asian elephant of which just 40,000 now remain . EEHV is a virus that can cause highly fatal haemorrhagic disease when transmitted to young elephants. Reports of wild Asian elephant fatalities at the hands of the disease are on the rise in India, Nepal, Myanmar and Thailand, while...
WORDS: FAITH MILLWARD | CHESTER ZOO
IMAGES: CHESTER ZOO
