JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — Officials say Jackson Zoo’s reticulated giraffe Diamond has been euthanized after advanced age complications, pain and severe and worsening arthritis rendered her unable to stand or eat.
Zoo officials tell The Clarion-Ledger the 28-year-old Diamond had been among the country’s oldest living giraffes, and died just weeks shy of her 29th birthday, which would have been New Year’s Day.
Diamond, a Jackson Zoo fixture since her 1992 arrival, mothered eight calves there; three are believed to be living.
A giraffe’s average lifespan in captivity is 20-25 years old. The zoo hopes to receive a new female reticulated giraffe next year, as a mate for the male reticulated giraffe, Casper.
