ANIMALS
Zoo Miami Says Baby Giraffe Died Of A Broken Neck
Zoo Miami
Florida’s Zoo Miami on Monday announced the death of a baby giraffe on Saturday was caused by a broken neck.
The female giraffe, born on Dec. 15, was found dead early Saturday morning by a staff member and transported to the Zoo Animal Health Facility for a necropsy, which confirmed the cause of death was a broken neck.
Because the event that led to this trauma happened overnight and was not personally observed, zoo officials can only speculate that something startled the animal and caused it to run into a fence, resulting in the fatal injury, the zoo said in a statement.
No other giraffe in the herd displayed any signs of trauma, and all have since returned to their normal routines without incident, the zoo said.
The zoo said staff are continuing to monitor the giraffe herd for any indication of stress or abnormal behavior while they search for what may have led to the juvenile’s death.
Sixty giraffes have been born at Zoo Miami over the years.
This has been a devastating loss, and all procedures are being carefully evaluated to help ensure the prevention of any similar incidents in the future, the zoo said.
TMX contributed to this article.
