Milwaukee County Zoo giraffe dies, 2nd in past week

Milwaukee County Zoo giraffe dies, 2nd in a week

The Milwaukee County Zoo announced the death of "Rahna," a 30-year-old reticulated giraffe, one week after another giraffe's passing.

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee County Zoo on Wednesday, March 29 announced the death of "Rahna" – a 30-year-old reticulated giraffe.

Rahna was humanely euthanized after experiencing age-related health issues, the zoo said in a Facebook post.

It is the second recently announced giraffe death, coming exactly one week after the zoo announced the unexpected passing of a different giraffe, "Bahatika."

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The zoo said Rahna was known as the "blonde" giraffe. She had one calf and was an "auntie" to recent giraffe calves at the zoo.

"Rahna was a ‘smart and observant giraffe,’" the giraffe care team said, per the post. "Watching her grow from a smart and 'sassy' young giraffe into a sweet and mellow senior has been an honor and a pleasure."

The zoo's Giraffe Building was closed Wednesday to give the animals space to grieve. The zoo said patrons can support Rahna through the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.

In a statement Thursday, the zoo said both giraffes outlived their life expectancies. Their deaths were the third and fourth at the zoo this year; Stella the jaguar and Gordy the groundhog were also euthanized for health-related issues.