Young giraffe dies at Pennsylvania zoo after neck injury
SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa. — A young giraffe recently brought to a Pennsylvania zoo has died after injuring his neck during unexplained aggressive behaviour, zoo officials said.
Six-year-old Ernie, a Masai giraffe, was brought to Lehigh Valley Zoo from the Kansas City Zoo in Missouri last week along with his 16-year-old father, Murphy, as part of a $3.8 million expansion of the Schnecksville zoo’s African animals exhibit.
Ernie arrived Friday after an 18-hour road trip in a special trailer, officials said in a written account Sunday. Murphy arrived days earlier. Zoo officials say Murphy showed affection to the young giraffe, nuzzling his face, but Ernie later became aggressive for unknown reasons and the animals were separated.
Saturday night, Ernie again became aggressive and critically injured his neck in a stall, officials said. The zoo veterinarian reached out to giraffe specialists, but Ernie died Sunday afternoon, they said.