Some sad news out of the Werribee Open Range Zoo, with vets making the difficult decision to euthanise one of the zoo’s seven giraffes.
Medical testing found the 17-year-old male giraffe Amani to have a painful, progressive, and untreatable condition.
Vets say they found an extensive lesion of his lower jawbone, which had caused his jaw to become swollen and unstable.
Zoos Victoria said the the decision to euthanise Amani was the ‘kindest and most humane welfare decision’ to make.
Zoo staff are waiting for additional test results from The University of Melbourne pathologists to gain further insights into the condition.
Amani was born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in 2007 and arrived at Werribee Open Range Zoo in 2009.
“The zoo’s savannah keepers will remember Amani as a gentle giant who was often the centre of attention, not only because of his formidable size but also his larger-than-life personality,” the zoo said on its Facebook page.
“He was a protector and played an important role model for the Zoo’s three sub-adult giraffes Wayo, Jesse and David, never leaving them behind and regularly leading them into their sleeping yards at night.
“Amani will be sorely missed by all zoo staff, members and visitors but most of all his keepers, some of whom worked with him for almost 16 years.”
