Baby giraffe dies “shortly after birth” after mother accidentally steps on his neck

A baby giraffe at the Nashville Zoo died “shortly after birth” on Saturday after her mother, named Nasha, accidentally stepped on her, the zoo said. A necropsy showed trauma to the newborn’s neck, the zoo said in a press release, adding that further testing would be done to “determine if there were any underlying causes” for his death.

The calf appeared to “thrive” after an initial examination after birth, Dr. Heather Schwartz, director of veterinary medicine at the zoo, said in the statement.

“We moved the newborn to be with his mother and the two bonded. During that time, Nasha may have inadvertently injured her calf, ”Schwartz explained. “The giraffe the guards noticed that the calf was in distress. “

The zoo explained that its animal care team intervened, but could not save the life of the calf.

The zoo posted on social media on Saturday, first sharing the news of the calf’s birth and then of its death. “Thank you all for your support over the past few weeks and especially during this difficult time,” the zoo said in an Instagram post announcing the death of the newborn giraffe.

Neither had the birth, Nasha’s first, gone smoothly before the loss.

The zoo said shortly after her labor, complications developed and Nasha “was not progressing well with her delivery.” But veterinary professionals stepped in and eventually managed to deliver successfully. giraffe.

“We are devastated by the loss of Nasha’s calf,” Nashville Zoo president and CEO Rick Schwartz said, according to the statement. “Our staff worked tirelessly to ensure that this calf received the best possible care. We went from fear of a stillborn to joy of waking up to anguish.”

The zoo said Nasha was “doing well” afterward, adding that staff would provide “a lot of comfort and care” for her in the following days.

The loss was also shared by many outside the walls of the zoo.

People around the world had been following the giraffe’s pregnancy online, and thousands of people had connected to her work through a live online feed, the zoo said. A local Nashville television station installed three cameras to allow the public to access Nasha’s pregnancy and birth, the statement said.