(Portland, OR) -- The Oregon Zoo's new baby elephant has received a vaccine for a virus that is often fatal to young elephants. Tula-Tu's half-sister died of the virus in 2018 shortly before her sixth birthday. The mRNA vaccine was made to specifically target the virus. Tula-Tu is the first Asian elephant calf at a West Coast zoo to receive the vaccine. It was first given to adult elephants at the Houston Zoo in 2024 and has been rolled out on an experimental basis over the past two years. Tula-Tu is the 18th elephant to receive it.