SAN DIEGO — Just days after his birth, a newborn baby giraffe has died at a California zoo.
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According to KGTV, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park announced Thursday that the unnamed male calf, born Monday to Masai giraffe Zindzhi, had difficulty standing and stopped nursing after his arrival. His health quickly began to deteriorate, the zoo said in a Facebook post.
“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 post read. “Unfortunately, despite all efforts, his condition continued to worsen, and the team made the compassionate decision to euthanize the calf.”
The zoo said its staff is closely monitoring Zindhi and the other giraffes in the wake of the death, according to the post.
In a previous post, the zoo pointed out that the calf was born on what would have been the 100th birthday of late actress Betty White, who was well-known for her love of animals.