The Jackson Zoo issued the following statement.
Staff of the Jackson Zoological Society are sad to announce the death of "Casper," the 13-year-old Reticulated giraffe who had been greeting visitors since his arrival at the zoo in November of 2004. He died on Sunday afternoon, October 29th, due to complications from urinary blockage.
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| Casper the Giraffe |
His keepers witnessed changes in his behavior, and they immediately notified Jackson Zoo veterinarian team, technician Donna Todd, and Doctors Michael and Beckey Holifield. After close observation and testing, they suspected that he might suffer from bladder stones. Since any illness in giraffes can be serious due to their size and build, keepers and the vet team made every effort to resolve the issues and put him back on a healthy track. His condition seemed to improve, as he was seen actively engaging with younger adopted brother, "Knox." Unfortunately, Casper's improvement was temporary, and he died behind the scenes with his animal care staff present.
"The male giraffe, Casper, was diagnosed as having urinary stones with a blockage and despite medical management and nutritional changes he did not improve," said Dr. Michael Holifield in a statement. "An attempt to surgically remove the stones was unsuccessful."
Casper was born in Milwaukee in 2003, and joined the Jackson Zoo when he was one year old. Casper became an icon of the Jackson Zoo experience, as he was almost always the very first animal encountered when guests entered the gates.
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| Kayla the Leopard |
Unfortunately, zoo staff has also been adjusting to the loss of the female Amur leopard, "Katya," who had to be euthanized on October 15th. She had been exhibiting signs of extreme age related issues for some time, and her keepers monitored her closely. When her behavior indicated a serious quality of life decline, her caregivers made the difficult decision to let her go. Katya was born at the Pittsburg Zoo in 2000, and had joined the Asian area of the Jackson Zoo in November of 2005. She and her surviving mate, "Nicolai," were part of the Amur Leopard Species Survival Program. They have a female offspring in Cape May Zoo, NJ.
"Life and death, occurring for all living things, is part of the day to day experience in any zoo," said Jackson Zoo Executive Director Beth Poff. "Every animal's passing is felt, especially with the ones that our guests see as long time 'celebrities.' It will be sad to no longer greet 'Casper' as we enter the zoo, he will be missed."
11 comments:
Sad and shameful. The real story is the zoo's current sham accreditation. The ZAA accreditation is farce. Why is the zoo no longer an AZA accredited zoo?
They voluntarily dropped their AZA accreditation before it could be revoked because of finance issues. The city can't/won't contribute enough and they don't have enough revenue to meet AZA standards.
Are there any animals left at the zoo besides mosquitos? And the only reason they're there are because they're free!
Tragic loss. On the topic of the zoo itself how the city would rather let the zoo fade to nothing vs moving it to a location that would allow it to prosper is uncomprehensible. The zoo won’t be around much longer. PS: Mynelle Gardens is another failing attraction.
The ROT continues.
I love animals and hate this news, but Casper and Katya are much better off in animal heaven than the Jackson Zoo.
The leopard was put down due to old age . That is not related to zoo conditions.
Nor do any of you know if the giraffe's urinary tract infection was caused by the conditions or if that was actually the cause of death. The giraffe was treated for that and seemed to improve so for all you know, the giraffe had a reaction to the medicine.
The list of ZAA accredited zoos is actually rather impressive and include many in Texas, Florida and Virginia including the cities of Houston and Richmond. Since some you are obviously experts in accreditation, perhaps you'll enlighten us on the significant differences that make ZAA a sham. We should alert Houston and Richmond right away.
What I continue to know is that any opportunity to bash Jackson will not be missed by some of you and that it is the location of the zoo that keeps you away and that you probably haven't been to the zoo in a very long time.
Just to be clear, the death of these animals is in no way connected to the lack of accreditation or funds --the leopard was old, and giraffes are prone to illnesses like these in captivity. I'm 100% in favor of blaming the city for not considering a move to a more viable location, but the keepers, vet techs, etc. are still doing an outstanding job caring for these animals on limited resources. If the zoo looks run-down, it is because the animals' needs come first and amenities for visitors come second. Want to make a difference: become a member, sponsor an animal, make a one-time donation or volunteer at one of the spruce-up days. I'm not a native of JXN, but I've chosen to make this place my home, and I would hate to see us lose the zoo because of anyone's short-sightedness.
This raises an interesting question about the market for zoo animals. Suppose the Jackson Zoo decides to acquire a new giraffe. Will any reputable dealer sell them one?
Zoos are a thing of the past, anyway. Let all the remaining animals there die of old age and the last one out can turn the lights off.
I love the Zoo and am saddened about the loss of these two beautiful creatures. I have a photo of our grandchild in her stroller looking up at possibly this very giraffe during her first zoo visit and sighting of a giraffe outside of picture books.
8:43, you know not of what you speak - zoos are NOT a thing of the past, but serve a purpose to protect and preserve species.
Glad these thugs are off the streets
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