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POOR BABY

3-Year-Old Elephant Named Fitz Dies at Louisville Zoo

A hemorrhagic virus with a survival rate of just 30 percent is blamed.

Fitz, an elephant calf, with his mother, Mikki, at the Louisville Zoo

Louisville Zoo

A 3-year-old elephant died at the Louisville Zoo of a hemorrhagic virus with a high fatality rate. The calf, named Fitz, had been receiving plasma transfusions while fighting for his life before taking a turn for the worse on Friday night, the Lexington Herald-News reported. The zoo said many elephants are born with endotheliotropic herpesvirus, which can remain latent until they are weaned and no longer receive their mother’s antibodies. Fitz’s mother, Mikki, and the zoo’s other elephant appear healthy, officials said.

Read it at Lexington Herald-Leader

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