Giraffe Mother and Baby Die Within Days of Each Other at Cameron Park Zoo
Incident Date:
07/23/2023
Location:
Waco, TX - USA
Facility Name:
Cameron Park Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Animal Death (AD)
Species:
Other
Animal:
Giraffe
Animal disposition:
Dead
Summary:
A mother and baby giraffe died at Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas, just days apart from each other.
Penelope, a 10-year-old Masai giraffe, passed away in mid-July. Three days later, her one-month-old calf, Zuri, also died.
After Penelope died, the zoo began hand-rearing Zuri and transitioned her to a milk formula and attempted to bond her with another female giraffe named Jenny. The zoo veterinarian and staff had been monitoring her progress, but unfortunately, she passed away in the following days.
The zoo has ordered necropsies on both giraffes and will do an independent review of their deaths, which could take several weeks.
Action take by Born Free USA:
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