Sumatran elephant calf Yuna dies in Aceh due to suspected virus

Yuna, a female Sumatran elephant calf under three years old, died at the Saree Elephant Training Center in Aceh on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Despite appearing active during the morning, her health declined rapidly in the afternoon.

Initial diagnoses by the Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) suggest the death was caused by Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV), a highly fatal virus for young elephants. Observed symptoms included facial swelling, red eyes, and a bluish tongue mucosa, alongside internal hemorrhaging in the digestive organs.

Medical teams attempted emergency treatment with intravenous fluids and multivitamins, but Yuna passed away at 20:48 WIB. Organ samples have been collected for laboratory testing to confirm the exact cause of death. Prior to this incident, Yuna had been under routine health monitoring and had shown good health during her last evaluation in June 2026.