Obi is Gone
Zürich Zoo's giraffe bull was put down this week. He was nine years old.
Zürich Zoo's nine-year-old giraffe bull was put down this week after a leg injury he never recovered from.
Obi had only arrived at the zoo last summer, brought in to breed with the three reticulated giraffe females in the Lewa Savanne as part of the European conservation programme. He stopped being able to bear weight on his right front leg on April 17th. The cause was never identified. Despite painkillers and rest, he grew steadily weaker until he could no longer stand — at which point there was no real alternative.
Giraffes are notoriously hard to treat for limb injuries. Their size, circulatory system, and the risks associated with anaesthesia leave vets with limited options once things start going wrong.
There's one small open question: keepers observed some mating attempts before Obi's condition deteriorated. Whether anything came of them won't be known for around a year. Zoo Zürich is meanwhile waiting for a recommendation on a replacement bull — reticulated giraffes are severely threatened, and suitable males in European zoos are scarce.
