Miami

Zoo Miami announces death of baby giraffe

A necropsy determined that the young female giraffe had a broken neck.

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A baby giraffe has died of a broken neck at Zoo Miami, zoo officials said.

The giraffe, born Dec. 15, was found by the zooโ€™s staff Saturday morning, spokesperson Ron Magill said.

โ€œBecause 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,โ€ Magill said.

A necropsy determined that the young female giraffe had a broken neck.

Zoo Miami baby giraffe dies
Zoo Miami

Magill said zoo staff continues to monitor the other giraffes in the herd, but all have returned to their normal routines without incident.

The zoo has a long history with caring for baby giraffes, with 60 having been born at there, Magill said.

Zoo Miami also has provided funding through the Zoo Miami Conservation Fund to various organizations in support of giraffe conservation in the wild.

โ€œThis has been a devastating loss, and all procedures are being carefully evaluated to help ensure the prevention of any similar incidents in the future,โ€ Magill said.

Through a media advisory, Zoo Miami stated that: "As part of a support system for staff dealing with loss, Zoo Miami partners with an organization called, โ€œGRAZE,โ€ which stands for Growing Resiliency for Aquarium and Zoo Employees to provide counseling in times of crisis and loss for those who may need it."

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