A baby giraffe at the Nashville Zoo died “shortly after birth” on Saturday after its mother, named Nasha, accidentally stepped on it, the zoo announced. An autopsy showed trauma to the newborn’s neck, the zoo said in a press release, adding that it would do more tests to “determine if there was an underlying cause” for his death.
The calf appeared to be “thriving” after an initial examination after birth, said Dr. Heather Schwartz, director of veterinary medicine at the zoo.
“We moved the newborn to be with his mother and the two were getting together. During this time, Nasha may have inadvertently hurt his calf,” explained Schwartz. “O giraffe keepers noticed that the calf was in danger. “
The zoo explained that its animal care team intervened, but failed to save the calf’s life.
The zoo posted on social media on Saturday, first sharing news of the puppy’s birth and then death. “Thank you all for your support in the past few weeks and especially during this difficult period,” said the zoo in an Instagram post announcing the death of the newborn giraffe.
The delivery, Nasha’s first, was also not smooth before the loss.
The zoo said that not soon after birth did complications arise and Nasha “was not progressing properly with the delivery”. But, the veterinary professionals intervened and ended up successfully delivering the baby giraffe.
“We are devastated by the loss of Nasha’s puppy,” said Nashville Zoo president and CEO Rick Schwartz, according to the statement. “Our team worked tirelessly to ensure that this calf received the best possible care. We went from the fear of stillbirth to the joy of rebirth and anguish.”
The zoo said Nasha is “doing well” afterwards, adding that the team will give her “a lot of comfort and care” in the coming days.
The loss was shared by many outside the zoo’s walls as well.
People around the world were following the giraffe’s pregnancy online and thousands of people watched the birth via a live online feed, the zoo said. A local Nashville television station installed three cameras to allow public access to Nasha’s pregnancy and birth, the statement said.