Hasina the giraffe.Photo: Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
A Masai giraffe at the Los Angeles Zoo is dead aftergiving birthto a stillborn calf.
Hasina the giraffedied on Monday night following an anesthetized procedure to remove her calf, which was in an “abnormal breech position within the womb,” according astatement from the zoo.
The 12-year-old mammal had initially recovered from the anesthesia and was doing well, even standing up and eating, but her condition “remained serious,” zoo officials said.
According to the zoo, animal caretakers “worked tirelessly and heroically for a positive outcome,” but Hasina “unfortunately did not survive.”
The calf would have been Hasina’s sixth offspring.
Hasina the giraffe (left) with one of her offsprings.Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
“Having come to us from the San Diego Zoo in 2010, Hasina was a glorious and beloved ambassador for her species and she was instrumental in adding to the sustainable population of endangered Masai giraffes in human care,” the zoo said in a statement. “Our entire Zoo family is mourning this painful loss.”
Dr. Dominique Keller, the zoo’s chief veterinarian and director of animal health and wellness, toldKTLAthat Hasina was a “healthy giraffe in her prime,” but the length of time she was under anesthesia and the position of the breech calf complicated the procedure.
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Officials have not released Hasina’s cause of death.
Masai giraffes can grow up to 17 feet tall, weigh 2,700 pounds and live up to 25 years,according to the L.A. Zoo’s website.
source: people.com
