An unanticipated fall that occurred at the Dallas Zoo during the life of a giraffe that was 15 years old resulted in a sorrowful ending because the cherished animal was unable to recover from his injuries.
The Dallas Zoo announced on Facebook, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our 15-year-old giraffe, Ferrell.” Ferrell had been with the agency for 15 years.
As a result of an unforeseen tumble that occurred in the barn on Friday, December 29, the zoo announced that Ferrell had incurred an injury to his jaw on the late afternoon of that day.
It was concluded by the zoo’s animal care and veterinary teams that the injury necessitated a surgical consultation after they swiftly evaluated his condition and established that it was necessary.
According to the zoo, the crew noticed that he had dislocated his jaw in such a way that surgeons would not be able to restore it by the time the process was complete.
“Jaw dislocations are difficult to treat, even in smaller animals; however, the size and anatomy of a giraffe made it difficult to perform any kind of reasonable repair.” The severity of this damage meant that Ferrell would have to deal with limits in his ability to utilize his jaw and tongue, and it is highly likely that he may require a partial or complete amputation of his tongue in the future, according to the zoo.
Due to the prognosis, and the impact on Ferrell’s quality of life, the zoo said the team made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the giraffe on New Year’s Eve.
