Dallas Zoo officials are mourning the loss of one of its giraffes. This animal was euthanized following an unfortunate fall that complicated a previous injury.
The zoo announced on January 1 that they had euthanized their 15-year-old giraffe named Ferrell. This animal had dislocated his jaw after falling inside a barn at the facility in the evening hours of December 29.
Veterinary teams had determined that Ferrell required surgery; however, During the procedure, the team discovered that the dislocation was so severe that the surgery would not be able to repair the damage. This injury would also severely limit the animal’s ability to eat. This injury had also worsened a previous injury to his jaw sustained over a decade ago.
“Jaw dislocations, even in smaller animals, are difficult to treat, but the size and anatomy of a giraffe hindered any type of reasonable repair,” read a social media post from the zoo. “The nature of this injury meant that Ferrell would face limitations in the use of his jaw and tongue, likely requiring a partial or full amputation of his tongue in the future.”
Due to these findings, officials ultimately decided to euthanize the giraffe on December 31.
“Ferrell had previously sustained a jaw injury over 13 years ago, resulting in issues with his tongue. Despite being able to use it, he lacked the ability to hold his tongue in his mouth,” read a social media post from the zoo. “The new injury further damaged his tongue, which would have severely limited his ability to continue to use his tongue, making it nearly impossible for him to eat.”
The Dallas Zoo kindly asks people to keep its staff in their thoughts during this heartbreaking time.
The zoo welcomed a new giraffe earlier last year when a giraffe named Chrystal gave birth to a 131-pound female giraffe in March, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
