- A mother and baby giraffe died in a Texas zoo just days apart from each other.
- Penelope, a 10-year-old Masai giraffe, passed away last week at the Cameron Park Zoo.
- Just three days later, her one-month-old calf, Zuri, also died.
A Texas zoo is mourning the loss of an adult giraffe and her calf after the pair died just days apart.
The Waco-based Cameron Park Zoo announced that Penelope, a 10-year-old Masai giraffe, became ill last week and died the next morning on July 19, local affiliate Fox 44 News reported.
“Penelope became ill late last night, and the Zoo’s veterinarian and staff worked with her during the night, and unfortunately, she passed early this morning,” the zoo’s staff said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Just days later, Penelope’s month-old calf Zuri, met the same fate.
“The Zoo began hand-rearing Zuri and transitioned her to a milk formula along with having her connect with the other female giraffe Jenny, a reticulated giraffe,” the zoo said in a Facebook post on on July 22. “The veterinarian and staff had been monitoring her development, but unfortunately, she passed this morning.”
The zoo has ordered necropsies on both giraffes and will do an independent review of their deaths, which they said will take several weeks. The zoo did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Masai giraffes, an endangered species known for their distinctive blotches, come from Central and Southern Kenya and Tanzania, the Cameron Park Zoo said in its statement.
They are the largest species of giraffe, typically living about 13 years, according to a profile from the Cincinnati Zoo. They can stand between 13 and 17 feet tall and can weigh over 4,000 lbs.
