Male giraffe dies at zoo
Greater Vancouver Zoo is mourning the death of a giraffe
Jafari, a 12-year-old giraffe, has died at Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove.
Photograph by: Greater Vancovuer Zoo photo , for Langley Advance
Jafari died at the Greater Vancouver Zoo sometime early Sunday morning.
Animal care staff at the Aldergrove zoo found the giraffe collapsed in his heated barn at about 7: 30 a.m., during their routine morning preparations for opening the zoo to the public.
Zoo staff report that the 12-year-old giraffe was believed to have been healthy prior to the sad discovery.
The cause of death is unknown at this time and a necropsy will be performed.
Jafari was six months old when he arrived at the Greater Vancouver Zoo in late 2001, from the Granby Zoo.
"This is extremely hard on all of us at the zoo, although we take comfort in knowing visitors of the zoo had an opportunity to learn more about this beautiful, endangered species," said Jody Henderson, general manager at the Greater Vancouver Zoo.
Jafari is the third giraffe to die at the zoo in the past year.
A female giraffe, Eleah, was found, like Jafari, in her heated barn during morning rounds last year, mid-November. She, too, had been considered healthy just prior to her death, but at 23 years of age, she was considered a "senior."
Eleah was pregnant, but zoo officials said that did not appear to be a factor in her death.
Her death had come only a week after three-year-old Amryn died unexpectedly.
Amryn was Eleah's and Jafari's offspring.
The deaths of several giraffes in recent years has drawn criticism from the Vancouver Humane Society, which said Jafari's death should spell the end of keeping the animals in Langley.
"It's just not good enough for the zoo staff to throw up their hands and claim they don't know what happened," said Peter Fricker, spokesperson for the VHS in a statement. "It's their responsibility to keep these animals in good health.
Unfortunately their poor record shows that is not happening. At the very least, they should stop keeping and breeding exotics, and concentrate on rescuing indigenous species in need."
In memory of Jafari, the zoo is encouraging visitors to share their encounters with Jafari on its Facebook page.
