Animal Protection Organization Calls On Dickerson Park Zoo To Stop Breeding Elephants in Wake of Baby Elephant Death

San Rafael, Calif.—Following the death of Nisha, a 16-month-old elephant who died Saturday from elephant herpesvirus, In Defense of Animals (IDA) is calling on Dickerson Park Zoo to stop breeding elephants and severely restrict any transfer of elephants out of the Zoo, calling the facility “contaminated” with the deadly infection.

“Dickerson Park Zoo has recklessly continued to breed elephants, in full knowledge that the facility is contaminated with the deadly elephant herpesvirus,” says IDA President Elliot M. Katz, DVM. “This disease has infected six young elephants at this facility and claimed the lives of five of them, most recently poor Nisha.”

“Worse, the Zoo has potentially spread this infection to elephants at other zoos, as a result of shipping elephants in and out of Dickerson Park, primarily for breeding purposes,” Katz continued.

An IDA report forthcoming this week will identify Dickerson Park Zoo as a hotspot zoo that has potentially helped spread the fatal infection throughout captive elephants in the U.S. Dickerson Park Zoo may be responsible for directly contaminating at least 10 zoos.

“In its zeal to produce baby elephants, who always increase zoo attendance, Dickerson Park Zoo is willing to subject them to the risks of this fatal disease and to put mother elephants through the anguish of watching their babies die a terrible death,” charged Katz.

Katz, a veterinarian, said that death from Herpes infection is particularly horrific, as the virus causes massive internal hemorrhaging, with the head swelling, tongue turning purple from bleeding, and death coming painfully over a period of days.

“Zoos continue to breed Asian elephants, even in facilities known to be herpes-contaminated like Dickerson Park Zoo, and transfer elephants between zoos without considering the dire consequences not just for individual elephants but for all elephants in North America,” Katz observed.

“This is just one more example of how zoos are failing elephants,” he concluded. “The result is seen in elephants like Nisha, who suffer horribly and die prematurely because of the unnatural and inadequate conditions for elephants in zoos.”

For more information, please visit www.helpelephants.com.