After more than two weeks of intensive treatment of two-year-old baby elephant Mun, the zookeepers at Copenhagen Zoo were able to breathe a sigh of relief just before Christmas.
For more than two weeks, efforts had been made to save Mun from the dreaded elephant herpes, which affects many young elephants and is usually fatal. In fact, only about 15 percent of baby elephants diagnosed with the disease survive the aggressive virus.
DANiNJECT darts and needles were used to immobilize the elephant in order for the zoo keepers to treat the young elephant.
- It's been a bit of a marathon over the past few weeks, and in addition to the early mornings and late evenings, the worry and uncertainty have taken their toll. So these are some tired zookeepers and vets who deserve a good few days at Christmas," says Zoological Director Mads Bertelsen at Copenhagen Zoo (source: Copenhagen Zoo LinkedIn Page).
Mun is now back playing in the elephant enclosure, but due to the intensive treatment, it will be a few weeks or months before she fully recovers.
Photo credit:: Frank Rønsholt, Copenhagen Zoo
