Houston Zoo elephant Mac, 2, dies of viral illness

At 5 months old, Mac amused Houston Zoo visitors and staff members as he played with an oversized basketball. At 5 months old, Mac amused Houston Zoo visitors and staff members as he played with an oversized basketball. Photo: Houston Chronicle Photo: Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Houston Zoo elephant Mac, 2, dies of viral illness 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Mac, a mischievous, young Asian elephant who had become one of the Houston Zoo's most popular animals, became ill and died Sunday. He was 2.

He entertained visitors with his ability to dance, produce music on wind pipes and stand on his head.

Many zoo staff members, won over by his intelligence, playfulness and occasional headstrong ways, were devastated by the death of the 2,200-pounds-and-still growing animal.

"Everyone shares in the grief. Mac was embraced by the community in the past two years. It was sudden. It was quick, and we just couldn't save him," said zoo director Rick Barongi, who choked up with tears and stepped away from the microphone during a press conference Monday.

Elephant keepers realized he was ill Sunday morning when he was sluggish, had no appetite and his head was swollen, said Joseph Flanagancq, the zoo's chief veterinarian.

Flanagan said he and other members of the veterinary staff viewed the symptoms as signs that Mac had elephant herpes virus.

The virus weakens blood vessels, and they begin to leak blood, Flanagan said. The heart pumps faster to compensate and sometimes fails.

The cause of elephant herpes virus remains unknown, but it is not transmitted sexually, Flanagan said. Many elephants carry the virus in latent form from an early age, and veterinarians remain puzzled over why it flares up in some animals.

After veterinarians administered an antiviral medication, Mac appeared to recover. He began playing and eating Sunday afternoon.

But that night, "unfortunately, he stood up, yawned, sat down and passed," Flanagan said.

Mac's mother, Shanti, and Methai, a female elephant who helped mother him in the maternally-run herd, stayed by his body, grieving him, Barongi said.

A necropsy — an animal autopsy — will be performed at the state veterinary diagnostic lab at Texas A&M University.

His body will be cremated there.

After his birth, he got his name through an Internet contest. Zoo officials chose "Mac" because they thought it was apt — he was big like a Mack truck.

Zoo spokesman Brian Hill said, "There was almost this eagerness to please in him. He enjoyed interacting with the keepers. He was all boy — he enjoyed knocking his wind pipes. Sometimes, he'd take a box of produce, smash it, and eat the produce along with parts of the box."

With his death, five elephants remain at the zoo, including Mac's father, Thai.

Mac is the sixth elephant that was kept at the zoo or was born at the zoo to die from elephant herpes, Barongi said.

Singgah, 10, died from the disease at the zoo in 2000. Kimba, 8, died in 2004.

Three elephants born at the zoo died at zoos in Berlin, Chicago and Canada, Barongi said.

Flanagan said most elephants are infected with the virus, so he and others have no reason to believe that the virus was especially rampant among the zoo's elephants.

The virus wasn't detected until 1995. Veterinarians haven't found a test yet to detect when elephants are carrying it in its latent form.

After composing himself, Barongi returned to the microphone and said a cure or vaccine will be found only if veterinarians devote themselves to finding one.

Among the zoo's remaining elephants is 3-year-old Tucker, who was Mac's playmate. But the herd may be growing.

"Shanti's in the early stage of pregnancy," Barongi said.

bill.murphy@chron.com