Sunday, December 22, 2024

Sudden Death of Giraffe shocks Paignton Zoo Staff

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Staff and volunteers at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park have been left shocked by the sudden death of male giraffe Yoda. The 14-year-old northern giraffe was found collapsed in the giraffe house early this morning.

Zoo spokesperson Phil Knowling said:

This has come as a huge shock. He was a noble animal, one of the best-known and best-loved characters in the Zoo. There was no warning. People are in tears.

It’s a big blow, but when you work with animals you have to deal with the low points as well as the highs.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out by the Zoo’s vet team.

Yoda arrived in Devon from Givskud Zoo in Denmark in September 2006, seven months after a tragic fire killed a family of three giraffes at the charity zoo. He was born in November 2004.

Since the fire, animal experts have patiently rebuilt the Paignton Zoo herd. Two females from zoos in the Czech Republic, Sangha and Janica, joined Yoda. During his time in Devon there were eleven births in eight years. Giraffes can live into their late 20s.

The 14-year-old cut an impressive figure, standing at over 5 metres tall and weighing around 1,200 kilos. The feet of an adult giraffe are the size of a dinner plate and they have a kick that can kill a lion. Paignton Zoo Environmental Park is a registered charity. For more information go to www.paigntonzoo.org.ukor ring 01803 697500.

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Boost News Desk
Boost News Deskhttps://roberthaylor.co.uk
Robert Haylor has 14 years of web development experience, starting out as a web developer whilst still in his university dorm room at Birmingham City University. With a background and a strong interest in website design & development he is skilled in a variety of programming languages including PHP, MySQL, CSS3 and HTML5. As Managing Director of Boost Digital Media, he regularly jumps on to client projects on a daily basis as well as ensuring the company strategy is being implemented and is delivering results.

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