MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A giraffe at Zoo Miami has died of a broken neck, a zoo spokesman said Monday.
The female giraffe, born Dec. 15, was found dead Saturday morning by zoo staff, zoo spokesman Ron Magill said.
A necropsy confirmed the cause of death.
"Because the event that led to this trauma happened overnight and was not personally observed, zoo officials can only speculate that something startled the animal and caused it to run into a fence, resulting in the fatal injury," Magill said. No other giraffe in the herd displayed any signs of trauma, and all have since returned to their normal routines without incident."
Magill said zoo staff will continue to "closely monitor the herd for any indication of stress or abnormal behavior while searching for any indication of what may have led to this very sad incident."