Afemale giraffe, only three months old, died this Saturday atMiami Zoo due to a fracture in the neck, reported the institution, which is investigating the facts surrounding the fatal incident.
“It is with deep sadness that Zoo Miami announces the death of a juvenile giraffe that was born on December 15. "The young female was found dead early Saturday morning by Animal Science staff," the park said in a statement.statement released this Monday.
“This has been a devastating loss,” the institution stated.
The circumstances surrounding thetragic event have not been clarified, since the event occurred during the night and was not witnessed by zoo officials.
However, staff surmise thatSomething must have scared the small animal and caused it to crash into a fence, causing a fatal injury..
After the discovery, the corpse of the baby giraffe was transported to the Zoo's Animal Health Center for a necropsy, the results of which confirmed a neck fracture as the cause of death.
“No other giraffes in the herd showed signs of trauma. and since then all have returned to their normal routines without incident,” the statement said.
Campus officials areclosely monitoring the herd of giraffes, to detect any signs of stress or unusual behavior. In addition, they continue to search for clues as to what could have caused thefateful fact.
Zoo Miami said it is carefully evaluating each of the procedures, to “help ensure theprevention of similar incidents in the future".
The note highlights the “exceptional record in caring for giraffes” exhibited by the Miami zoo, where60 specimens have been born throughout its history. It also mentions that it has provided funding to organizations, through the Zoo Miami Conservation Fund, to support the conservation of giraffes in the wild.
The little giraffe that lost its life this weekend was precisely the 60th to be born in the Ciudad del Sol zoo. It was the eighth calf of its mother Sabra, 13, and its father Malcolm, six, according to himannouncement made after his arrival into the world.
At birth, he was just over 5 feet tall and weighed more than 120 pounds, and the initial results of his neonatal exam indicated that he was strong and healthy.
The situation of the giraffe in the wild isclassified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, because in recent years there has been a significant reduction in the populations of these mammals, native to Africa.
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