Giraffes are possibly my favorite zoo animals and I stop by the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas, about 50 miles south of here fairly frequently to see if I can spot these graceful creatures. I was at the zoo briefly just a couple of weeks ago and photographed this one. Imagine my surprise when I learned that a 17-year-old male, Rafiki, was found dead in his stall Thanksgiving morning! I don't know if this photo is Rafiki but zoo officials are stunned by his death. He evidently collapsed and died suddenly. A necroscopy lasting about eight hours has been performed and perhaps the answer will be known in the coming months. Lufkin lost a female giraffe in 2010, a baby giraffe earlier this year, and another female giraffe in August. For a small zoo, this is pretty devastating. I don't know how many, if any, giraffes remain.
15 comments:
They are one of my favorite too.
wow, that's really sad.
Devastating and heart breaking, too! Giraffes are beautiful creatures. I love the way that they undulate as they walk.
this is truly sad news. I wonder if this is common in other zoos.. i love them to. about 40 plus years ago, i had one kick my hand and i can tell that tongue is about a mile long.
So sorry to hear about the giraffe. That is sad. This one looks cheerful.
Sad news. I love giraffes too.
Mersad
Mersad Donko Photography
Such a pretty animal. I hope they find the cause of the deaths so that they can prevent it from happening in the future.
That is our dog "looking out" of his doggy ride on one of our bicycle trips.
Sad, so sad what happened to Rafiki. These animals are so unique. I love them also so much and every time I am in the zoo, I always come to say hello to them.
oh I like them also.
That is sad so many are dying.
Well hello there handsome!!!
Really beautiful photograph, Kathy.
I hope you let us know what you find out about these animals that have died. So sad!
Jo, Stella and Zkhat
That's horrible! We lost a giraffe (and a second one was deathly ill but survived) a year ago because a new worker cut oleander branches to feed them! Since then all oleanders have been eradicated from the zoo grounds. People love them because they are a fast-growing very pretty flowering shrub, but I hate the things! I hope they find out what has killed their wonderful giraffes! We were at the Wild Animal Park on our vacation (near Prescott AZ) and got to feed a giraffe...I gave him a carrot with my mouth and that long tongue was a a little scary-looking! :-) But he was careful just to take hold of the carrot, not give me a kiss! They are incredible beasts!
Giraffes are my favorite zoo animal also. What a shame that so many have died there. Hum.
That is so sad about the giraffes! They are certainly pretty animals. I've always liked them.
What an awesome shot! So sorry to read that they are dying!
Post a Comment