Juvenile giraffe dies after breaking neck at Zoo Miami

MIAMI — A juvenile giraffe was found dead at a South Florida zoo on Saturday, officials said.

The 3-month-old female was discovered with a broken neck at Zoo Miami, the zoo announced in a news release on Monday.

The incident occurred overnight at the zoo when the facility was closed, the Sun-Sentinel reported. No staff members witnessed how the animal died, Zoo Miami said in its statement.

3-month-old giraffe dies at Zoo Miami. She may have been spooked, officials say https://t.co/l7kXa9VNfp
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) March 18, 2024

According to zoo spokesperson Ron Magill, the giraffe, named Saba, was born at the zoo on Dec. 15, the Miami Herald reported.

The calf was born to 13-year-old mother Sabra, and 6-year-old father Malcom, according to the newspaper. She was the eighth calf born to each parent.

A necropsy was performed on Saba, and results showed that the giraffe’s cause of death was a broken neck, zoo officials said.

Zoo officials said none of the other nine giraffes in the herd showed any signs of trauma, WFOR-TV reported.

“Because the event that led to this trauma happened overnight and was not personally observed, zoo officials can only speculate that something startled the animal and caused it to run into a fence, resulting in the fatal injury,” Magill said in a statement. “This has been a devastating loss, and all procedures are being carefully evaluated to help ensure the prevention of any similar incidents in the future.”