The Blank Park Zoo euthanized one of its giraffes last Thursday. Shani, a 21-year-old female, had lived at the Des Moines zoo since 1996.
The zoo decided to euthanize Shani due to the mineralization of front ankle ligaments, which caused her severe joint pain. The condition continued to worsen and medication administrated orally had started to erode the lining of Shani's digestive tract.
Kevin Drees, the zoo's director of animal care and conservation, says zoo visitors might remember giving Shani pieces of lettuce, as she was one of the more enthusiastic animals in the zoo’s public feeding program.
"She was definitely over her fear and intimidation of people, and was always willing to participate," says Drees. "Some giraffes don't think it's worth the bother to get the lettuce, but Shani was one of our reliable public feeders."
Animal keeper Nikki Shemanski describes Shani as an intelligent animal.
“She also had a knack for getting treats from keepers and guests in the barn," says Shemanski in a press release. "She knew if she begged with her chin on the mesh of her stall that no one could resist that face … she will be greatly missed."
Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine performed a necropsy on Shani’s carcass. Drees hopes the post-mortem examination will help Blank Park and other zoos better care for giraffes.
Drees anticipates the zoo acquiring another giraffe after the holding barn is updated.
