England’s Chester Zoo is in mourning.
The zoo announced on Thursday that two of its young Asian elephant calfs died. Both Nandita Hi Way, 3, and Aayu Hi Way, 18 months, succumbed to an incurable virus known as Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV).
According to a statement from the zoo, EEHV is often present in Asian elephants, both wild and those living in captivity, and rarely develops into an illness. Unfortunately, when it does, the illness is fast-acting and next to impossible to stop.
Even with these depressing odds, the zoo tried to fight the virus as soon as staff noticed EEHV developing into an illness in both Aayu and Nandita. Both of the elephants were given anti-viral drugs and groundbreaking blood transfusions in an effort to boost their immune systems to help them fight through.
The Chester Zoo had state-of-the-art science on its side, but it wasn’t enough to save the pair.
“Aayu and his half-sister Nandita were wonderful, confident and energetic calves, who loved nothing more than playing with the rest of the family herd – whether in the sand or the pool. They will be missed by their young siblings in the herd who will no doubt mourn for a short time,” the zoo’s director of animals, Mike Jordan, said in a statement provided to PEOPLE. “To lose them both is also devastating to all of us here who have cared for them day in, day out. We fought for them until the very last moments, but were unable to save them. It is just heart-breaking.”
Before the deaths, the Chester Zoo was already working on finding a cure and vaccine for EEHV. While progress has been made, the zoo says the “battle is ongoing” to protect all elephants from EEHV and its effects.
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