Asante from AK

[Mrs. Jobson]

Giraffe Dies in Springfield After Severe Neck Injury
www.ksmu.orgOfficials at the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield say a giraffe that travelled from Walt Disney World in Florida has died...

For those that don't know who Asante is, he was the big male Giraffe on Kilimanjaro Safaris. I am so sad about this news. He was my favorite Giraffe. May you rest in peace my friend in heaven with all the Acacia trees you can eat.

 

[cdunbar]

How was his neck injured?

Nevermind it says that they aren't 100% sure. But so so sad, and such a beautiful animal!

 

[Captain Hank]

He either got injured during transport, or as he got off the trailer. A report I read said that he had difficulty getting off the trailer, and fell to the ground. More information here, but be advised there is a picture of Asante taken after his neck was broken: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.ky3.com/news/local/95567894.html&h=d9389

So incredibly sad--he was one of my favorite giraffes on the reserve.

 

[_Scar]

SEVERE neck injury?

That's really sad and I cannot even begin to imagine how much that would hurt for a giraffe ):

RIP fella and hope you're up there with your other buddies

 

[STGRhost]

Oh, that is just heartbreaking. It's really tough to transport adult giraffes, mainly because this situation is a big possibility. They're so big but so delicate at the same time.
Ugh. I just feel awful for the staffs at DAK and Dickerson Park - that's a rough situation to deal with.

 

[Susan Savia]

How very sad!!

 

[mp2bill]

That stinks...

 

[sar1980sweetie]

That's so horrible! The giraffes are one of my favorite animals to see when I'm at DAK. Does anyone know, can a giraffe come back from a neck injury and is this a "common" problem when transporting them?

 

[DisneyparkFreak]

Have a friend that works at Dickerson and was there when it happended... The giraffe got spooked when trying to get out of the trailer. It was on the ground for a while then once it stood up the vet noticed the broken neck. It was put down shortly there after... Poor guy... However you can be comforted in knowing that he didnt die alone, there were about 10 zoo employees there.

He told me that the giraffe was actually on loan from AK, but was actually owned by the San Diego zoo... Dont know if that is true or not.

 

[kashmir]

That's so horrible! The giraffes are one of my favorite animals to see when I'm at DAK. Does anyone know, can a giraffe come back from a neck injury and is this a "common" problem when transporting them?

An article said many have tried fixing broken necks in the past but were unsuccessful.