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The Oklahoma City Zoo began considering a testing system that will yield quicker treatment in the future,
the EEHV virus took hold of Malee too rapidly to save her. With another young elephant in the herd, the
keepers maintain vigilance for the warning signs.
In a statement from the Oklahoma City Zoo veterinarian Dr. Jennifer DAgostino, The Seattle elephants
did not bring this virus to us. This particular strain was already here. It has been determined that the
EEHV virus is not what killed Chai.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a statement concerning Chais death. After contacting PETA, Jaimie Schwartz, Communications Special Projects Manager, stated the organization had no
further comment at this time.
In an unrelated circumstance, Dr. Marion Garai of the Elephant Specialist Advisory Group, issued statementsexplaining the welfare concerns of removing elephants from the wild. Of course the zoos need
elephants to generate income through more visitors, as they have clearly admitted. This is an issue about
money and not about the elephants and one wonders why they asked for public comment in the first
place?
In relation to Chais death, Garai wrote in an email, My personal opinion is that wild elephants do not belong into a zoo. Most zoos are inappropriate for the varied social structure and behaviour of elephants.
There are very few zoos which can offer them more or less adequate facilities and only zoo born elephant
should be kept in breeding herds, including males.
There are numerous concerns over the involvement, or lack thereof, of the Oklahoma City Zoo in Chais
death. Reports indicate that the OKC Zoo has asked for further investigation to determine if Chai had an
underlying disease or chronic issue, the results may take several weeks for complete analysis.