The Enemy Within | When Elephants Fight the Invisible Killer

In the summer of 2024, at Dublin Zoo in Ireland, an elephant herd faced an invisible enemy. The heartbreaking story of two young calves that were lost to the deadly virus known as Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV), a hemorrhagic disease that has claimed the lives of many elephants worldwide. Their herd-mate, a 17-year-old Asian elephant named Asha, now stood at the centre of hope, science, and survival.

This video tells the story of how Asha’s fight became a symbol of resilience — how keepers, veterinarians, and scientists joined forces to monitor, treat, and protect her herd. It also traces the scientific breakthrough behind EEHV: the world’s first vaccine trial against EEHV, published in Nature Communications in 2025.


What you’ll learn in this video:

What EEHV is, how it affects elephants, and why it’s so dangerous.
The heartbreaking outbreak at Dublin Zoo — veterinary intervention, loss, and hope.
How a mature herd member (Asha) and her protectors monitored early signs, intervened, and survived.
Why the vaccine breakthrough matters for elephant conservation globally — captive herds and wild populations alike.
What you can do to support elephants facing invisible threats like EEHV.


Why this matters:
Asian elephants are already listed as endangered. Invisible enemies like EEHV further threaten their survival in zoos and in the wild. Early detection, rigorous care, and now a vaccine offer real hope for future generations.



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References:

Maehr, T., Lopez, J., Steinbach, F. et al. “A safe, T cell-inducing heterologous vaccine against elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus in a proof-of-concept study.” Nature Communications (2025). https://www.nature.com/articles/s4146...
“Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesviruses EEHV1A, EEHV1B …” (PMC). https://www.nature.com/articles/s4146...
“Occurrence of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus infection…” (Thailand study). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...





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