A baby giraffe has died of a broken neck at Zoo Miami, zoo officials said.
The giraffe, born Dec. 15, was found by the zoo’s staff Saturday morning, spokesperson Ron Magill said.
“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,” Magill said.
A necropsy determined that the young female giraffe had a broken neck.
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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.
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Zoo Miami also has provided funding through the Zoo Miami Conservation Fund to various organizations in support of giraffe conservation in the wild.
“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,” 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, “GRAZE,” 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."
