Detroit Zoo euthanizes baby giraffe after spinal injury

Royal Oak—Detroit Zoo officials have euthanized a baby giraffe after she was injured in her habitat, officials announced Friday.

The 3-month-old female calf, named Okidi, suffered a spinal injury earlier this week when she ran into a viewing panel in her indoor habitat. The veterinary and animal care team decided to euthanize her because of the injury’s seriousness and her poor prognosis, the zoo said on Facebook.

“Given the severity of the injury and poor prognosis, our animal care and veterinary team made the humane but heartbreaking decision to euthanize Okidi,” the zoo said.

The zoo thanked its staff for their “compassion and expertise,” and the community for grieving the loss along with the zoo.

“Okidi brought joy to so many, and she was deeply loved by those who cared for her each day,” the zoo said in a statement.

Zoo officials said the giraffe herd, including Okidi’s mother, Zara, was given the opportunity to observe Okidi following the procedure, “an important step in supporting herd dynamics.”

“Our team continues to monitor and provide additional support to Zara, Jabari, Mpenzi and Kivuli,” said the zoo in its Facebook post.

Okidi was born Nov. 23, and her name means “orchid” in Swahili, according to a December post on Facebook.

Zara was 7 years old when Okidi was born, and her father, Jabari, was 17. The other two giraffes housed at the zoo are Kivuli, a female, and Mpenzi, a male.

The Detroit Zoo has more than 2,000 animals of over 200 species, according to its website.

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Zoo euthanizes baby giraffe after spinal injury

Reporting by Julia Cardi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News

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