Rights group seeks probe of elephant death

SEATTLE, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Animal rights activists are citing the death of an elephant last summer as a reason to shut down the breeding program at a Seattle zoo.

The Northwest Animal Rights Network said in a letter to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture that the program at the Woodland Park Zoo should be suspended and investigated for allegedly exposing the elephant to a fatal herpes virus.

The 6-year-old Asian elephant named Hansa died last June. It remains unclear how the animal contracted the virus, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said Wednesday.

"It really paints a very disturbing picture of the zoo totally disregarding its duty to protect Hansa," said Nancy Farnam, a spokeswoman for the Northwest Animal Rights Network.

The zoo told the newspaper that all health precautions had been taken.