Zuri, a 1-month-old baby giraffe, dies just days after her mother, Texas zoo says
_fitted.png "A 1-month-old baby giraffe, Zuri, died at a Texas zoo just three days after her mother.")
Staff at a Texas zoo are mourning the loss of two beloved giraffes after they died just days apart.
“With great sadness,” the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco announced on July 19 the death of Penelope, an adult female Masai giraffe born in 2013.
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The 10-year-old giraffe was born at the San Diego Zoo before being brought to Cameron Park, where she would later mate with another Masai giraffe named Dane, according to the zoo. Penelope gave birth to a 156-pound baby on June 23 named Zuri, which means “beautiful,” the zoo said.
Following the loss of Penelope, zoo staff “began hand-rearing Zuri and transitioned her to a milk formula along with having her connect with the other female giraffe Jenny,” the zoo said, though Jenny is a different species of giraffe.
“The veterinarian and staff had been monitoring her development, but unfortunately, she passed this morning,” zoo officials announced July 22.
Zuri was roughly one month old at the time of her death.
Many shared their sympathies on social media, both for the giraffes and for the staff.
“I am so sorry for this double loss. My heart breaks for you all,” one comment read.
“She missed her mama greatly,” read another. “These beautiful giraffes will be missed.”
Necropsies have been performed on Penelope and Zuri to determine their cause of death, but it will likely be several weeks until the results are in, according to the zoo.
Masai giraffes are the largest subspecies of giraffe and the tallest of all land animals, usually measuring around 6 feet tall at birth, according to wildlife experts. Adults can grow up to 17 feet and typically weigh in around 2,600 pounds.
In the wild, most Masai giraffes have a life expectancy between 10 and 15 years, though they are known to live as long as 27 years in captivity, according to experts.
This story was originally published July 27, 2023 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Zuri, a 1-month-old baby giraffe, dies just days after her mother, Texas zoo says."