In the new series of The Secret Life of the Zoo, vets at Chester Zoo treat an elephant calf for the herpes virus, and the penguins welcome 16 new members to their colony
Last year Chester Zoo tragically lost two Asian elephant calves to a fatal herpes virus.
But in this week’s first episode of the new series of The Secret Life of the Zoo, keepers face a race against time to save the life of two-year-old Indali when she’s also diagnosed with the deadly virus (see our TV guide for full details).
As a last resort an emergency medical team tries a radical treatment using the drug interferon, which is usually given to humans to treat cancer.
Incredibly, after three weeks, it appears to have worked, making little Indali the first elephant to beat the virus at Chester Zoo.
It’s a heartwarming tale that has far-reaching consequences and could offer hope to all affected elephants across the world.
TV Times rating: ****
