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Officials at the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield say a giraffe that travelled from Walt Disney World in Florida has died after arriving in Springfield. KSMU’s Jennifer Moore reports.
The male giraffe, named Asante, was actually owned by the San Diego Zoo, and was on loan to the local zoo for breeding purposes.Melinda Arnold, a spokesperson for Dickerson Park Zoo, said the animal suffered from a broken neck, and zoo officials decided their best option was to euthanize the animal Thursday.“Our veterinarian and our zoo staff were working with the animal administering medication, fluids, giving it cold water baths to keep it cool, because it was very, very warm on Wednesday, and then trying to encourage it to stand up,” Arnold said.
It eventually did stand up, she said, but it was clear at that point that there was a severe neck injury.
It’s still unclear, she said, how, or when the giraffe’s neck came to be broken—whether it was on the journey from Florida to Missouri, or whether it was due to a fall the giraffe took when exiting the trailer in Springfield. She said it had difficulty exiting from the trailer.The giraffe’s name, Asante, is Swahili for “thank you.”
Late last year, in Tulsa, a different giraffe also suffered a neck injury while being transported from Ohio. That giraffe also died due to its injuries.For KSMU News, I’m Jennifer Moore.
