Over the weekend, a beloved giraffe in an upstate zoo passed away after breaking his neck after being entangled in a gate support.
Parker, a 6-year-old Masai giraffe, was discovered unconscious inside the Seneca Park Zoo’s Animals of the Savanna Building on Sunday morning, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.
Veterinary professionals arrived very quickly, but they were unable to save the magnificent animal.
According to zoo superintendent Steve Lacy, “the possibility of this kind of catastrophe happening was unanticipated and unprecedented.”
The gate construction, which was put in place in 2018, is a typical element of giraffe enclosures and is utilized in many certified zoos around the nation, he continued.
According to officials, Parker tried to free himself and cracked his neck.
The maker of the gate has been alerted, according to the Seneca Park Zoo, which also stated that no other zoos have received reports of similar instances involving their buildings.
The tragedy has also been reported to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the US Department of Agriculture.
The zoo further stated that it would change the gate to stop this from occurring again.
According to the Democrat and Chronicle, Parker, who relocated to Rochester from the Santa Barbara Zoo in 2018, was partnered with Kipenzi and Iggy, two female Masai giraffes.
He and Iggy gave birth to Olmsted, sometimes known as Olmy, on April 29.
One of Parker’s other children, a male born to Kipenzi on July 12 who had a congenital malformation of his left front fetlock joint, was put to sleep shortly after delivery.
The three remaining giraffes at the site are being closely watched, according to zoo doctor Chris McKinney, because “any large incident can certainly harm them.”
“This is a disaster for the Seneca Park Zoo community,” said Adam Bello, the executive of Monroe County.
“We are all suffering this enormous loss, from the staff who looked for and adored Parker to the Zoo members and guests whose visits were made more enjoyable by Parker’s presence,” he continued.
»Young Giraffe dies in an attempted “Zoo-Break”«
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯