'This is a tragedy.' Seneca Park Zoo giraffe dies after getting caught in enclosure gate
The Seneca Park Zoo’s only adult male Masai giraffe has died after getting stuck in the support structure of a giraffe enclosure gate, the zoo announced Monday.
In a statement, zoo officials said 6-year-old Parker was unresponsive when found Sunday in the gate structure in the Animals of the Savanna building. Zoo veterinary staff were summoned immediately but were unable to save him.
“The possibility of this kind of event happening was unforeseen and unprecedented,” Steve Lacy, zoo superintendent, said in the statement. “The gate structure, installed in 2018, is a standard giraffe enclosure feature and is used in a number of accredited zoos around the country.”
Zoo officials later told media that Parker's neck got caught in the structure and fractured when he tried to free himself.
There have been no reports of other such incidents at zoos with similar gate structures, according to the Seneca Park Zoo, which is making modifications to prevent it from happening again and has notified the manufacturer about the hazard.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums also have been notified, and the zoo is working with the agencies in response to the accident.
Parker arrived at Seneca Park Zoo from the Santa Barbara Zoo in 2018. He was paired with female Masai giraffes Kipenzi and Iggy, and was father to Olmsted, or Olmy, born to Iggy April 29, 2022.
“This is a tragedy for the Seneca Park Zoo community,” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “From the staff who cared for and loved Parker, to the Zoo guests and members who had their visits brightened by Parker’s presence, we are all grieving this tremendous loss.”
The zoo’s three surviving giraffes are being monitored closely, said zoo veterinarian Chris McKinney, because “any major event can certainly affect them.”
Parker is the second giraffe to die at the zoo in a little over than six months. His other offspring, a male giraffe born to Kipenzi July 12, 2022, was euthanized at three weeks old after multiple interventions to correct a congenital abnormality of his left front fetlock joint failed.
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Seneca Park Zoo giraffe dies after getting caught in enclosure gate
