Beloved Giraffe Dies In Childbirth At Los Angeles Zoo

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Zoo 's beloved Masai giraffe died in childbirth, zoo officials announced Tuesday. It was a breech birth of a stillborn calf Monday, and 12-year-old Hasina died justt hours after the traumatic birthing.

"The zoo is devastated at the loss of Hasina and her calf," said Dr. Dominique Keller, the zoo's chief veterinarian and director of animal health & wellness.

"Hasina was a healthy giraffe in her prime, so we were hopeful that she would survive," he said. "There were many complicating factors at work in this procedure such as the difficult position of the breech calf and the length of time under anesthesia. Following the procedure, Hasina was standing on her own, which is a positive sign, but in the end she may have been too weak from the experience."

Dozens of the zoo's Animal Care and Animal Health staff members worked for hours Monday to try to mannually remove the calf. Zoo officials determined that a natural birth simply wasn't possible due to the abnormal breech position of the full-term calf. The procedure lasted five hours.

"This was a time-sensitive procedure and it was all hands on deck," said Beth Schaefer, director of animal programs. "When you have an animal of this size and weight, it takes a large team to manage all of the logistics that come with a procedure of this magnitude. We were all focused on the welfare of Hasina, who has been with us for years. Hasina has always been a favorite among staff and guests, and she will be greatly missed."

Not long after Hasina awoke from the anesthesia she died.

This would have been Hasina’s sixth gcalf, three of which were sired by nine-year-old Phillip. Hasina came to the Los Angeles Zoo from the San Diego Zoo in March 2010. According to zoo officials, she was an ambassador for her species and instrumental in adding to the sustainable population of Masai giraffes at the Los Angeles Zoo. Masai giraffes are native to East Africa., and they are the tallest land mammal, growing up to 17 feet tall and weighing 2,700 pounds. Giraffes are currently categorized as “endangered” because their populations are under threat and declining due to habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal hunting, and disease, according to zoo officials.

With Hasina gone, the zoo's remaining heard includes Phillip, Zainabu, SOFIE, and James.