Cincinatti Zoo
A giraffe at the Cincinnati Zoo has died after what appears to be a bad reaction to a recent surgery done on its hooves … which was supposed to mitigate a major health issue.
The zoo says that the male giraffe, named Kimba, passed away Sunday after it had collapsed to the ground early that morning in the zoo’s giraffe barn — where the staff had been monitoring a pregnant female giraffe who’s supposed to go into labor any day now.
Cincinatti Zoo
It’s unclear how exactly the giraffe ended up dying — the Cincinnati Zoo says they’re awaiting the results of a necropsy to learn more about what exactly happened — but they note that Kimba had been dealing with complications from a surgery he had done on his hooves last week. The photo above shows Kimba getting that work done by a team of specialists.
The surgery was meant to help Kimba fight off chronic lameness in his legs — something the zoo says he’d been experiencing since last summer … which was causing mobility issues.
The surgery was basically a hoof trim, and based on what the doc told them … it was supposed to make him “sound” again — but unfortunately, it sounds like it didn’t take. Kimba was 12 years old, and had sired 6 calves, including a 7th on the way now.
Cincinnati Zoo
Of course, this is the same place where Harambe the gorilla was shot and killed a few years ago after a child fell into his cage and got dragged around by the animal.
Sad news all around.
