Heart break in the zoo: elephant bull Otto dies of herpes!

Heart break in the zoo: elephant bull Otto dies of herpes!

In the Hellabrunn zoo in Munich, there is sadness for the young elephant bull Otto, who has recently died of a life-threatening herpes infection (EEHV 1). Otto was only born on November 11, 2020 and had integrated well into the elephant group in recent years. But his health deteriorated dramatically in the night from Sunday to Monday, which led to an emergency program for veterinarians and nurses. Despite intensive medical efforts and vaccination, his life could not be saved. He died in the early morning hours of June 16, 2025, as the official press release of the zoo reports.

Rasem Baban, the board and animal park director, expressed his grief over the loss and emphasized the emotional effects on the team and the herd of elephants. "We have done everything possible to help him," he said about the challenges that treatment of herpes infections in young animals brings. Otto is not the only elephant affected by this virus. After the death of Umesh in Zurich Zoo, the eight-year-old elephant cow Omysha also has to struggle with a severe herpes infection and receives antiviral medication and blood plasium-fusions from other elephants.

loss and farewell

First, the elephant Rani and Savani suffered this stroke of fate. These two young females were recently relocated to Munich by the Leipzig Zoo after being excluded from their herd. In the Hellabrunn zoo, however, they quickly settled into the new environment and hope for young people. It has now been reported that Rani and Savani "said goodbye to Otto as usual with elephants"

The loss of such a young and promising elephant not only affects the team in the zoo, but also caused great sadness among visitors. The elephant house remains temporarily closed; However, it will open again on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. In a podcast episode, the zoo plans to share further information about Otto's fate and to emphasize the enormous importance of elephant care and breeding.

The challenges of herpes virus

Unfortunately, herpes infections are not uncommon in elephants and can have fatal consequences, especially young animals. In the Zurich Zoo, other elephants also show signs of an increased virus load, but are closely monitored. The Situation illustrates how important preventive health monitoring is, which can be combined with different therapies at best.

The sad events related to the elephants in Hellabrunn and Zurich once again show how vulnerable the animals are and how much commitment and expertise are necessary to enable them to live healthy. The animal keepers and veterinarians are working on creating the best conditions for the elephants and hope for many healthy years in the future.