The San Diego Zoo Safari Park announced on Thursday that the two-day-old male Masai giraffe calf has died this week due to deteriorating conditions following his birth.
The unnamed calf was born on Jan.17 to mom Zindzhi, a first-time mother. According to the Zoo in a statement released on social media, specialists noticed that the calf’s conditions began to deteriorate, including difficulty standing and not nursing.
He was taken to the Safari Park’s Harter Veterinary Medical Center where the wildlife health and wildlife care teams provided around-the-clock care. The zoo said it made “the compassionate decision” to euthanize the calf after worsening conditions that followed all efforts.
Zindzhi and the other members of the giraffe herd are being monitored closely for any unusual behavior after the calf's passing
No other information was released, but thousands of people offered their condolences to the Zoo and Zindzhi.
