If ever there was an exhibit with an awe factor at the Houston Zoo, it would have to be the elephants.

Mac, the newest attracting, is now just over a year old.

Cute, sure.  But there’s something else about these elephants that isn’t readily apparent – something which, in the future, may or may not become a problem.

“It’s latent. Some animals manifest it. Others live for a long time with it, like our bull elephant and our female,” Zoo Director Rick Barongi said.

“It” is a deadly elephant version of the herpes virus.

“For the most part, the animal swells up in the membranes and dies,” elephant advocate Les Schobert said.

That was the case with Kimba, a 13-year-old Asian elephant who died at the zoo three years ago.   She was one of five born at the zoo to succumb to the virus.  Three of those died after they had been transported to other facilities. 

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Mac the elephant at the Houston Zoo

A new report by In Defense of Animals has identified the Houston Zoo as one of three hot spots for the virus.

In Defense of Animals is calling for a halt to the breeding of Asian elephants, not just at the Houston Zoo, but around the country.

It’s also calling for severe restrictions on the transport of elephants between facilities.

But not everyone is convinced.

“Breeding elephants has nothing to do with herpes transmission. It’s in the population. It gets transmitted in many different ways,” Barongi said.

But so far, the zoo says the virus hasn’t shown up in its star attraction, Mac.