A much-loved giraffe broke his neck and died in a freak accident at a zoo in the US. Six-year-old Parker was found unresponsive after his neck became stuck in his enclosure gate on Sunday. It fractured as he tried to remove himself.
Officials at Seneca Park Zoo in upstate New York now plan to remove the gate, which was installed in 2018 and is described as a “standard giraffe enclosure feature”.
Parker, the only adult male giraffe at the zoo, was of a breed native to East Africa, called Masai.
The species, with a population of around 32,000 in the wild, is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Its population has declined by more than a half since the 1980s due to loss of habitat and poaching.
“The possibility of this kind of event happening was unforeseen and unprecedented,” Steve Lacy, zoo superintendent, said in the statement.
“The gate structure, installed in 2018, is a standard giraffe enclosure feature and is used in a number of accredited zoos around the country.”
Seneca Park Zoo, located in Rochester, has launched a fundraiser for the Giraffe Conservation Foundation following Parker’s death.
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“From the staff who cared for and loved Parker, to the Zoo guests and members who had their visits brightened by Parker’s presence, we are all grieving this tremendous loss.”
There have been no reports of such incidents at other zoos with similar gate structures, the zoo said in a press release.
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